Radiotherapy can be very effective in the treatment of brain tumours, but it is associated with significant and irreversible long-term side effects, especially in children. Piao et al. transplanted oligodendrocyte progenitors (hOPCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells in the irradiated brains of young (4-week-old) rats. Injection of hOPCs in the forebrain remyelinated the brain and rescued cognitive deficits, whereas hOPC grafts in the cerebellum restored lost motor skills.
References
Piao, J. et al. Human embryonic stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitors remyelinate the brain and rescue behavioral deficits following radiation Cell Stem Cell 16, 198–210 (2015)
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Villanueva, M. Healing the brain. Nat Rev Cancer 15, 136 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3923
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3923