Scientists produce hypothalamic neurons, which can help target a range of conditions
Collaborating with scientists from New York, Toronto, and Tokyo, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have devised two methods for using stem cells to generate the type of neurons that help regulate behavioral and basic physiological functions in the human body, such as obesity and hypertension, as well as sleep, mood, and some social disorders.Dr. Merkle presented this experiment at the Cleveland NN conference a few years ago.
The work by Florian Merkle and colleagues provides researchers, for the first time, with live hypothalamic neurons to use as targets for drug discovery and therapeutic cell-transplantation efforts for conditions related to stress, reproduction, puberty, and immune function, as hypothalamic neurons are often involved in those diseases as well.
I saw the citation last week.
He actually made it to the science news wires.... nice.
I'm pretty sure that stem cell implants are not what we really need though.
