UC Davis Children’s Hospital researchers have identified the potential stem cells that become the bladder, adding to the body of research that already has identified stem cells that can regenerate many of the body’s other organs. The finding raises the hope that scientists may one day regenerate replacement bladder tissue for patients whose bladders are too small or do not function properly; such patients could be children with spina bifida, or adults with spinal cord injuries or bladder cancer. “This is the first time that candidate adult stem cells of the lining of the bladder have been identified,” said Eric Kurzrock, professor and chief of the division of pediatric urology. “The main thing that we’ve done is characterized some of the protein expression on the outside of these cells and defined what they look like and how they are different from other cells of the bladder.” The finding is described in a paper published online in the American Journal of Physiology-Renal. The cells are good candidates for bladder (or urothelial) stem cells in part because, like stem cells discovered in other organs, the bladder cells have been found to have superior “clonogenic and proliferative abilities.” This means that, when necessary, the bladder cells give rise to “daughter” cells that replenish urothelial tissue. The candidate stem cells distinguish themselves by retaining material used to “tag” or label them more consistently when compared with mature dividing cells. Phyllis Brown is a senior public information officer for the UC Davis Health System.