Scientists have discovered an antibody that can turn stem cells from a patient’s bone marrow directly into brain cells, a potential breakthrough in the treatment of neurological diseases and injuries.

Richard Lerner, of the Scripps Research Institute in California, says that when a specific antibody is injected into stem cells from bone marrow-which normally turn into white blood cells-the cells can be triggered to turn into brain cells.

‘There’s been a lot of research activity where people would like to repair brain and spinal cord injuries,’ Lerner says. ‘With this method, you can go to a person’s own stem cells and turn them into brain cells that can repair nerve injuries.’

Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins that the immune system uses to help identify foreign threats to the body. They bind to foreign invaders in the body in order to alert white blood cells to attack harmful bacteria and viruses. There are millions of known antibodies.

[PHOTOS: The 2013 White House Science Fair]

Lerner and his team were working to find an antibody that would activate what is known as the GCSF receptor in bone marrow stem cells, in order to stimulate their growth. When they found one that worked, the researchers were surprised: Instead of […]