ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms
Myelination from neural stem cells
October 25, 2012 7:00 AM UTC
University of California, San Francisco, Oregon Health & Science University and StemCells Inc. have found that neural stem cell transplants could remyelinate axons and treat myelination disorders including Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease.1,2 The biotech is planning a Phase II study of neural stem cell transplantation in the indication.
Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) is a rare X-linked leukodystrophy disorder caused by mutations in proteolipid protein 1 (PLP1). These mutations disrupt the ability of oligodendrocytes to myelinate axons, which leads to neurological deficits and eventually degeneration...