Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison reported Sunday that they have been able to coax stem cells into becoming motor neurons in an experiment that could someday help scientists treat spinal-cord injuries or provide a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The success, which was reported online in the science journal Nature Biotechnology, is important because scientists have struggled to do what researcher Su-Chun Zhang and his colleagues say they have accomplished after two years of tedious trial and error. Perhaps more important, Zhang’s recipe shows researchers that timing is everything when adding their chemical cocktails to stem-cell ââ?¬Å?stews.ââ?¬Â Stem cells are vulnerable to human manipulation for only the briefest of moments ââ?¬â? and at different intervals, depending on the results each researcher craves. ââ?¬Å?It’s very specific,ââ?¬Â Zhang says. ââ?¬Å?You have to have the right cocktail in the right amount at the right time.ââ?¬Â
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