In Washington D.C., on March 16 (via ANI), researchers have developed a technique to transform a skin cell directly into a nerve cell, bypassing the necessity of creating induced pluripotent stem cells. These newly created nerve cells might potentially be utilized for healing spinal cord damage or combating conditions like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Transforming a single kind of cell into another — such as changing a skin cell into a nerve cell — involves inducing the skin cell first to become a "pluripotent" stem cell, followed by differentiation into a neuron.

Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a streamlined method that skips the stem cell phase, transforming a skin cell directly into a neuron.

Using mouse cells, the scientists created an exceptionally effective conversion technique capable of generating over ten neurons from a single skin cell. Should this process prove viable in human cells, it has the potential to yield substantial numbers of motor neurons. These could then be utilized for treating individuals suffering from spinal cord injuries or conditions that affect movement.

Katie Galloway, who holds the position of WM Keck Career Development Professor in Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, stated, "We reached a point where we could inquire into whether these cells might serve as suitable candidates for cell replacement therapies, something we aspire them to be. This is an area where such kinds of reprogramming technologies have the potential to lead us."

To initiate their work towards using these cells for therapeutic purposes, the scientists demonstrated that they were able to produce motor neurons and transplant them into the mouse brain, where they successfully merged with the surrounding tissues.

Galloway is the senior author of two papers detailing the new method, published today in Cell Systems. The lead author of these papers is MIT graduate student Nathan Wang.

The group from MIT is aiming to boost the efficiency of converting human cells, potentially enabling the production of substantial amounts of neurons. These neurons might then be utilized to address spinal cord injuries or conditions like ALS that impact motor function.

Clinical trials using neurons derived from Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to treat ALS are now underway, but expanding the number of cells available for such treatments could make it easier to test and develop them for more widespread use in humans, Galloway says.

The research was funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. (ANI)