Common
diabetes drug promotes development of brain stem cells
SickKids
researchers suggest metformin helps produce new brain cells and enhance
memory
TORONTO –
Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have found that
metformin, a drug commonly used to treat Type II diabetes, can help trigger the
pathway used to instruct stem cells in the brain to become neural (nerve) cells.
Brain stem cells and the neural cells they generate play a role in the repair
of the injured or degenerating brain.
This study suggests a novel therapeutic approach to treating people with
brain injuries or potentially even neurodegenerative diseases.
The study –
led by Dr. Freda Miller, Senior Scientist at SickKids and Professor in the
Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto – is published in
the July 5 advance online edition of Cell Stem Cell.
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