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Updated: Feb 27, 2026
Electrically Conductive Scaffold to Modulate and Deliver Stem Cells
Published on: April 13, 2018
Electrical Guidance of Human Stem Cells in the Rat Brain
Jun-Feng Feng1, Jing Liu2, Lei Zhang3
1Departments of Dermatology and Ophthalmology, Institute for Regenerative Cures, University of California Davis, 2921 Stockton Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, People's Republic of China; Shanghai Institute of Head Trauma, Shanghai 200127, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Limited migration of neural stem cells in adult brain is a roadblock for the use of stem cell therapies to treat brain diseases and injuries. Here, we report a strategy that mobilizes and guides migration of stem cells in the brain in vivo. We developed a safe stimulation paradigm to deliver directional currents in the brain. Tracking cells expressing GFP demonstrated electrical mobilization and guidance of migration of human neural stem cells, even against co-existing intrinsic cues in the rostral migration stream. Transplanted cells were observed at 3 weeks and 4 months after stimulation in areas guided by the stimulation currents, and with indications of differentiation. Electrical stimulation thus may provide a potential approach to facilitate brain stem cell therapies.
