When neurons perish, the brain cannot replace them. Most organs maintain stem cells to repair damage, but the few neural progenitors that remain in the adult brain have very limited potential to grow into different cell types, so they are unable to regenerate functional brain tissue that is lost to injury or disease.
To coax the brain into healing itself, researchers have searched high and low for methods that expand the brain’s progenitor cell population. In one approach, scientists isolate cells from different tissue sources and turn them into neural progenitor cells in vitro. The hope is that once transplanted into injured brain regions, these cells will integrate, survive, and restore brain function. This in vitro reprogramming method has shown promise, but can have severe drawbacks, including immune rejection and cancer risks.1,2
When Chun-Li Zhang started his laboratory at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, he wanted to decipher ...
