@LucyHunterB Oh golly, it's really cool.
@LucyHunterB So first, what a thing to happen, let alone to find fetal cells in the brain tissue of females decades after they give birth!
Initial studies focussed on females who had carried male babies - it's possible to discriminate the male cells against the female tissue background.
Initial studies focussed on females who had carried male babies - it's possible to discriminate the male cells against the female tissue background.
@LucyHunterB Female babies also kick out cells into Mum. Just harder to find them.
This is not even the coolest part yet....
This is not even the coolest part yet....
@LucyHunterB If you study this phenomenon in rodents, you can label fetal cells with a "colour", so you can detect exactly where they colonise Mum and how long they last.
And it's still not the coolest part....
And it's still not the coolest part....
@LucyHunterB Note: The following is a horrible experiment so people who object to animal research, look away now.
If you induce a heart attack in a (rodent) pregnant Mum, you can find large numbers of these fetal cells clustering around the damaged area....
If you induce a heart attack in a (rodent) pregnant Mum, you can find large numbers of these fetal cells clustering around the damaged area....
@LucyHunterB ....where they start changing into healthy heart tissue.
@LucyHunterB Fetal cells from the placenta are pretty "stem cell" like, and that means they can change into lots of different tissue types.
Babies might keep their Mums alive.
Babies might keep their Mums alive.
@LucyHunterB But there's more, albeit speculative the last time I looked.
This shot of stem cells in adulthood might underpin some of the reason that females live longer.
This shot of stem cells in adulthood might underpin some of the reason that females live longer.
@LucyHunterB I'd never heard of this until a brilliant undergrad student in one of my PBLs brought it up (and gave a perfect, five minute lecture to the rest of the group).
My jaw was dragging. He got great marks ;)
My jaw was dragging. He got great marks ;)
@LucyHunterB I have to say...
Developmental biologists have the privilege of seeing pr learning about so many amazing things in the course of their careers, but this is a strong contender for "Best Ever".
Developmental biologists have the privilege of seeing pr learning about so many amazing things in the course of their careers, but this is a strong contender for "Best Ever".
