Scientists Develop Blueprint for Turning Stem Cells Into Sensory Interneurons
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health SciencesKey takeaways: • Just like the real thing. The stem cell–derived interneurons, which play a role in sensations like touch and pain, are indistinguishable from their real-life counterparts in the body. • Tomorrow’s therapies. In addition to potential treatments for injury-related sensation loss, the discovery could lead to new methods for screening drugs for chronic pain. • Moving forward. While stem cells from mice were used in the research, scientists are now working to replicate the findings with human cells.