Stanford researchers find stem cell transplant can grow new immune systemSilicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal
Friday, November 23, 2007 - 7:17 AM PST
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine said Thursday they found a way to transplant new blood-forming stem cells into the bone marrow of mice, effectively replacing their immune systems.
Many aspects of the technique would need to be adapted before it can be tested in humans, said Dr. Irving Weissman, a co-senior author of the study and director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.
The study will be published in the Nov. 23 issue of Science.
A person with an autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis has a defective immune system in which immune cells attack the person's own body. An immune system transplant, much like a liver or heart transplant, would give the person a new system that might not attack the body, the researchers said.
The work was funded by fellowships from the Stanford Medical Scholars Program, the Cancer Research Institute and by the National Institutes of Health.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2007/11/19/daily48.html?ana=from_rss
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