It’s the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae the person responsible for the old disease – extremely disabling – affecting the skin and peripheral nerves. Previous studies had already tried the cells of the liver by injections of stem cells into mice, but the side effects were tumor growth, apparently because the technique used was too invasive.
To avoid this harmful side effect, researchers at the University of Edinburgh (Centre for Regenerative Medicine) turned to a rather interesting result of their study: the ability to reprogramming cell of the bacteria that causes leprosy.
The English researchers worked with the Department of Health and Human Services of Baton Rougen in Louisiana. They used the same bacteria (Mycobacterium leprae) to infect 57 armadillos and then compared the infected livers to those of uninfected armadillos and to those found to be resistant to infection. As a result, the animals developed enlarged livers, but perfect healthy and undamaged.
The researchers rely on this research because the encouraging results increase the chances of modifying this process in humans to improve the condition of livers affected by liver disease or tumors, while also addressing the need for transplantwhich is currently the only curative option.
The findings were published in Cell Reports Medicine.
Source: Lega Nerd
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