“Turning Brain into Blood” — Clinical Applications of Stem-Cell Research in Neurobiology and Hematology

Abstract

A recent report by Bjornson et al.¹ of a study entitled, in part, “Turning Brain into Blood” challenges much of the dogma in the field of stem-cell research by claiming the existence of a common neurohematopoietic stem cell of potential value in clinical transplantation. The investigators isolated, from mouse brain, neural stem cells that could be clonally propagated in vitro for many generations. When the culture conditions were altered, the cells could differentiate into neurons of multiple subtypes, as well as oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. The researchers transplanted into sublethally irradiated mice cloned neural stem cells with genetic markers that allowed . . .