Researchers from the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University have discovered a previously unknown immune cell that may not only halt neurological damage by diseases such as multiple sclerosis and ALS but also repair the damage the illnesses already have done.
The cell is a member of the family of neutrophils, immune cells that have been described as the body’s first responders: neutrophils are the first to arrive at inflamed or infected tissue. However, neutrophils can work too hard to contain the damage some diseases cause, making them worse.
This new sub-cell, resembling an immature neutrophil, has an opposite effect: it can stimulate the regrowth of damage nerve tissue.
In tests on mice, these young neutrophils secreted growth factors that sparked the repair of tissue in damaged spinal cords and optic nerves.
TRENDPOST: The researchers found the same cells in humans, launching a new field of research that could harness the body’s own neutrophils to regenerate severed spinal cords and allow people with diseased or damaged optic nerves to see again.
