Optical
Pacemaker and
Engineered Muscle Neurons Activate Paralyzed Limbs
Muscle paralysis can be caused by a number of factors, but injured motor
Neurons that ** longer conduct signals from the brain to control
Muscle movement are often the underlying condition. While electrical stimulation holds promise for overcoming certain types of paralysis, damaged motor
Neurons prevent even that approach. Researchers from University College London and King’s College London have just reported in journal
Science*on a new light-based technique*that restores
Muscle movement in mice with injured motor neurons.
The mice had new motor neurons, that were generated from embryonic stem cells, grafted onto the injured nerves. The
Neurons were
Engineered to depolarize when illuminated via a light-sensitive ion channel that was genetically introduced into the cells. When blue light was introduced to the grafted cells, the muscles contracted. The team believes that within five years clinical trials of the tech**logy, in the form of an
Optical pacemaker, will be underway in human patients, hopefully including people that were otherwise told they’ll be permanently in a wheelchair. Additionally, the same approach may help restore the functionality of the diaphragm in certain patients living on a ventilator.
“We custom-tailored embryonic stem cells so that motor
Neurons derived from them can function as part of the
Muscle Pacemaker device.” said Dr. Ivo Lieberam, co-author of the study, in a statement. “First, we equipped the cells with a molecular light sensor. This enables us to control motor
Neurons with blue light flashes. We then built a survival gene into them, which helps the stem-cell motor
Neurons to stay alive when they are transplanted inside the injured nerve and allows them to grow to connect to muscle.”
Study in
Science:
Optical Control of Muscle Function by Transplantation of Stem Cell–Derived Motor Neurons in Mice…
Press release:
Light-activated neurons from stem cells restore function to paralysed muscles…
