From anemia to leukemia, unhealthy cells can make for unhealthy people, but replacing these cells can help patients. What if the same were true for some of the world’s most devastating neurological diseases?
A new study published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine raises the tantalizing possibility that researchers could one day replace microglia — cells that form a roaming cleanup crew that scours the brain for signs of infection and damage. A team led by Stanford scientists found microglia could be swapped out in mice with an infusion of stem cells as part of a bone marrow transplant. Doing so helped mice with a neurodegenerative disease live longer and move about more normally.