South Korean researchers say neural stem cell growth could be controlled, adding that this could be used to cure neural cancer and degenerative neural diseases.

The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology(KRIBB) on Wednesday said the neural stem cells’ growth could be controlled by using the protein in mitochondria responsible for controlling calcium concentration levels inside cells. 

The research was conducted by Lee Kyu-sun and Lee Seong-soo of the KRIBB’s BioNanotechnology Research Center and a team from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

The researchers said changes in particular proteins inside cells controlled calcium levels inside the mitochondria, influencing the maintenance and division of neural stem cells.

Lee Kyu-sun said the results could be utilized for curing diseases other than neural cancer or degenerative diseases.

The research was published online on Developmental Cell, a sister publication of global biology journal Cell.