Hope for Spinal Cord Injury Repair 
The use of HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM
CELLS (MSCs) to prompt repair of spinal cord
injuries in transgenic (genetically engineered or
altered) zebrafish embryos has been
studied for the first time by researchers at
UMDNJ. Zebrafish are especially valuable to
researchers due to invertebrate characteristics
that are similar to those of humans, the
transparency of
their bodies and
their ability to 
initiate regeneration
of damaged
tissue. The
study, conducted
by Hatem E.
Sabaawy, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine
at RWJMS and a resident member of
CINJ, and Pranela Rameshwar, PhD, professor
of medicine at NJMS, shows that human MSCs
affix to the injury site and influence spinal cord
cells to accelerate the repair process. Published
online ahead of print in Stem Cells and
Development, the research indicates that human
mesenchymal stem cells may play an important
role in the repair of spinal cord injuries.