By Charles Audouin 

A research team at Konkuk University in collaboration with researchers at Seoul National University has developed a stem cell-based therapy for nerve regeneration.

The results of the study were published online on May 27 in the Germany-based academic journal Acta Neuropathologica.

The team produced extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing the nerve growth factor gene, based on neural crest cells, which were generated from induced pluripotent stem cells made from the patient's urine cells.

EVs injected into a mouse model of peripheral nerve injury were found to raise the survival rate of nerve cells on the injured area. This new treatment also showed clear therapeutic effects like suppression of inflammatory response, promotion of axon elongation, or the process by which axons grow and extend, and enhancement of remyelination.

The therapeutic effects were achieved without the need for the cell transplantation, overcoming the limits of conventional stem cell therapies such as the risk of tumor formation and immunity rejection. The technology also alleviated skeletal muscle atrophy caused by nerve damage, attesting to its potential for treating muscle degeneration.

"This is a case study demonstrating new possibilities for nerve regeneration treatment," Konkuk professor Cho Ssang-Goo said. "We keep expanding our research to apply it to intractable diseases such as diabetic neuropathy and neurotoxicity induced by anticancer drugs."

caudouin@korea.kr