June 15, 2012

Dormancy of stem cells enables them to remain viable…many days post mortem




Dormancy of stem cells enables them to remain viable…many days post mortem

Under the direction of Fabrice Chrétien*, in collaboration with Shahragim Tajbakhsh**, researchers from the Institut Pasteur, the Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP), and the CNRS have shown for the first time in humans and mice, the capacity of stem cells to adopt a dormant state when their environment becomes hostile, including several days after death. This ability to significantly reduce metabolic activity enables them to preserve their potential for cellular division, even after extended periods post mortem. After isolation, they can then be used to repair damaged organs or tissues. This discovery could lead to new therapeutic avenues for treating numerous diseases. The study is being published today in the journal Nature communications.

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