Electrical signals inducing stem cell differentation

Saitama Japan-

In today's issue of the journal Stem Cells, Yamada et al reported that electrical stimulation of embryonic stem cells resulted in induction of differentiation into the neural lineage. In a paper entitled "Electrical stimulation modulates fate determination of differentiating embryonic stem cells", the authors demonstrated that embryonic stem cells differentiated by electrical stimulation in vitro not only displayed various neural markers but also successfully integrated with endogenous neurons from mice with artificially injured spinal cords.

This paper provides rational for assessing cell differentiation ability of in other contexts, for example in situations of endogenous tissue injury. Some patents, such as US Patent #6485480 already suggest that electrical signals may have cytokine-like activity.

The interaction between magnetic fields and stem cells is very much in its infancy, and elucidation of mechanisms in this area is bound to yeild novel therapeutic means.