Stem Cells - Research as Stanford University

Stem Cell News

A single cell can repopulate damaged skeletal muscle in mice, say scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who devised a way to track the cell’s fate in living animals. The research is the first to confirm that so-called satellite cells encircling muscle fibers harbor an elusive muscle stem cell.

Identifying and isolating such a cell in humans would have profound therapeutic implications for disorders such as muscular dystrophy, injury and muscle wasting due to aging, disuse or disease.

“We were able to show at the single-cell level that these cells are true, multipotent stem cells,” said Helen Blau, PhD, the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Professor of Pharmacology. “They fit the classic definition: they can both self-renew and give rise to specialized progeny.” Blau is the senior author of the research, which was published Sept. 17 in the online issue of Nature.

“We are thrilled with the results,” said Alessandra Sacco, PhD, senior research scientist in Blau’s laboratory and first author of the research. “It’s been known that these satellite cells are crucial for the regeneration of muscle tissue, but this is the first demonstration of self-renewal of a single cell.”

Stanford University