Neural Stem Cells Located Outside the Central Nervous System (CNS)

Published 2025-05-18

In a groundbreaking advancement for regenerative medicine, researchers have identified a previously unknown population of neural stem cells located outside the central nervous system (CNS). This discovery, led by Hans Schöler at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, challenges the long-held belief that neural stem cells are confined to the brain and spinal cord. The newly discovered peripheral neural stem cells (pNSCs) were found in various mouse tissues, including the lungs and tail, and exhibit properties similar to CNS-derived neural stem cells, such as sustained neurogenesis and self-renewal. Unlike neural crest-derived stem cells, which have limited self-renewal capacity, pNSCs closely resemble brain-derived neural stem cells and can be cultured extensively in vitro. This finding opens new avenues for regenerative therapies targeting neurodegenerative diseases and nerve injuries, as pNSCs could provide an accessible and practical source of neural stem cells for repair and regeneration. The study's results, published in Nature Cell Biology, pave the way for further research into the role of pNSCs in human biology and their potential therapeutic applications .