Decoding molecular cues that stem cells send and receive could be key to developing new therapies involving those cells, says Todd McDevitt, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who is not involved in the work. For example, discovering a particular protein signal that encourages stem cells to heal damaged tissue could lead to a drug that mimics that protein and enhances tissue repair. A cocktail of such signals might even do away with the need to transplant stem cells for such tasks. This technique will help researchers do the basic research leading to such discoveries, he says. "It could be really transformative."

1 Comments

1. 1. gesimsek 02:40 PM 10/3/12

   Very good research, but what about the messages coming from the brain?

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