Learning From Leprosy
There is no such thing as useless knowledge in biochemistry; at a fundamental level, all new learning leads to applications in medicine. For example: "Glial cells - nervous system cells that form a highly specialized insulating sheath called myelin that surrounds nerve fibers - under certain conditions can 'de-differentiate,' re-enter the cell cycle and revert to an unspecialized state, from which they can repair damaged tissues. Scientists are eager to learn how glial cells accomplish this trick, as it could teach them not only about neurodegenerative diseases, but also have implications for regenerative medicine. Now, using leprosy bacteria, laboratory primary cultures of human and rat glial cells and genetically engineered mice, [researchers have] uncovered new molecular pathways that lead to demyelination - the breakdown of the myelin sheath - as well as de-differentiation and cell proliferation of mature Schwann cells, the glial cells of the peripheral nervous system."