Research Redefines Protein’s Role In The Development Of Spinal Sensory Cells

Increasing the concentration of a certain type of BMP increases the production of the same categories of sensory interneurons (red and green). Left: no BMP added; center: 1x BMP added; right: 10x BMP added.
By UCLA Department of Neurobiology
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Study Published in the Journal eLife

A recent study led by Samantha Butler at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA has overturned a common belief about how a certain class of proteins in the spinal cord regulate the formation of nervous system cells—called neurons—during embryonic development. These findings could one day inform the creation of stem cell-based therapies that restore the sense of touch in paralyzed patients.