Researchers have discovered a technique that directly converts skin cells to the type of brain cells destroyed in patients with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and other myelin disorders.
This new technique directly converts fibroblasts, an abundant structural cell present in the skin and most organs, into oliodendrocytes, which is the type of cell responsible for myelinating the neurons of the brain.
The study uses mouse cells, with the next step aimed at demonstrating the feasibility and safety using human cells.
If successful, the technique could have widespread therapeutic application to human myelin disorders.
Read more at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine