Study Identifies New Source Of Stem Cells

These findings are published today on-line in the highly cited scientific journal Nature Cell Biology in an article entitled "Isolation of Multipotent Adult Stem Cells from the Dermis of Mammalian Skin" by J.G. Toma, M. Akhavan, K.J.L. Fernandes, F. Barnabé-Heider, A. Sadikot, D.R. Kaplan, and F.D. Miller. The paper can be viewed on line at http://www.nature.com/ncb/future_issues/.

Dr. Freda Miller and colleagues at the Centre for Neuronal Survival and the Brain Tumour Research Centre at the Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, have isolated stem cells from the dermis of adult rodents that will proliferate and differentiate in culture to produce very different cell types- neurons, glia, smooth muscle cells, and fat cells. These novel stem cells, SKPs, were isolated from the skin of juvenile and adult rodents- an accessible non–embryonic source. Human studies have indicated that similar cells are present in adult human skin. "We believe our discovery is important as we have identified an exciting new stem cell from a non-controversial source that holds considerable promise for scientific and therapeutic research," says Dr. Freda Miller.

The work conducted at the MNI has led Dr. Miller and her colleagues to offer a new account of stem cells present in the adult. "SKPs represent a novel multipotent stem cell less biased than other adult stem cells– they have the ability to differentiate into diverse cell types of different embryonic lineage and can be cultured for one year without losing this ability," explains Dr. Miller. "This is extremely significant as rather than being programmed to generate only skin cells, SKPs can be directed to become neurons or neuronal support cells or even muscle cells- depending on what is needed. Importantly, SKPs also represent a potentially autologous (i.e. originating from within the same individual) stem cell source that can generate neural cell types damaged in spinal cord injury or Parkinson’s disease. This means that complications seen in donor transplantations are avoided as the patient's own cells are being transplanted." The MNI researchers expect that the new findings will contribute to our understanding of the impressive versatility of stem cells and offer a potential solution to individuals with Parkinson’s disease and other neural disorders.