In this episode Richard Lu – a professor of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati Chldren’s Hospital talks about a type of stem cell in the brain called oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC). OPC normally differentiate into the oligodendrocytes that wrap around the axons of neurons providing insulation that greatly speeds up the propagation of electrical impulses. These cells also provide nutrients to neurons and produce proteins that promote the survival of the neurons. But OPC can and unfortunately do become transformed into cancer cells. Dr. Lu talks about the normal roles of OPC in brain development and how they can form brain tumors.

LINKS:

Dr. Lu’s laboratory web page:

https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/research/divisions/e/ex-hem/labs/lu

Oligodendrocytes – review

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8018611/pdf/nihms-1686441.pdf

Oligodendrocytes – Brain repair and cancers

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969996120303156?via%3Dihub