Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have found that the premature fusion of the skull in infants, known as craniosynostosis, is caused by an increase in a previously unidentified stem cell, the DDR2+ stem cell. This discovery offers potential for treatments beyond surgery.
A new stem cell driving disorders of premature skull fusion was transplanted , showing that it makes the cartilage seen at sites of skull fusion . Credit: Greenblatt lab The unexpected finding led the team to hypothesize that another type of bone-forming stem cell was driving the abnormal suture fusion. After further experiments, and a detailed analysis of the cells present at fusing sutures, they identified the culprit: the DDR2+ stem cell, whose daughter cells make bone using a different process than that utilized by CTSK+ cells.
The researchers found the human versions of DDR2+ stem cells and CTSK+ stem cells in calvarial samples from craniosynostosis surgeries—underscoring the likely clinical relevance of their findings in mice. “I can imagine DDR2+ stem cell-suppressing drug treatments being used along with surgical management, essentially to limit the number of surgeries needed or enhance outcomes,” Dr. Greenblatt said.