Researchers at the University of Central Florida are the first to use stem cells to successfully grow neuromuscular junctions between human spinal cord and muscle cells. The main purpose of this breakthrough is to further develop "human-on-a-chip" systems that represent human functions. These prospective models would allow many types of research, such as drug testing, to take place on actual human cells without having to deal with the ethics of testing on live patients. Besides possible future use in these models, the junctions themselves may also prove useful in testing treatments for neuromuscular diseases such as Lou Gehrig's disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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