Health and science reporter, BBC News
It may be possible to use a patient's own skin to repair the damage caused by multiple sclerosis (MS), which is currently incurable, say researchers.
Nerves struggle to communicate in MS as their insulating covering is attacked by the immune system - causing fatigue and damaging movement.Animal tests, described in the journal Cell Stem Cell, have now used modified skin cells to repair the insulation.
Experts said there was an "urgent need" for such therapies.
Just like electrical wires, nerves have insulation - but instead of plastic, the body uses a protein called myelin.
However, diseases that result in damage to the myelin, including MS, leave the nerves exposed and electrical signals struggle to travel round the body.
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