Posted on 06/15/2005 7:43:47 PM PDT by Coleus
Scientists Create Brain Cells, Predict Possible Rapid Development of Treatments for Alzheimers and Parkinson's
WASHINGTON, June 14, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - American researchers have found a method of growing batches, or lines, of fully mature brain cells. This has often been predicted as the end of such neurological diseases as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s. The ethical new technique mimics the brain’s own natural process of changing stem cells into neurons. For the moment, the research has been confined to mice, but the researchers are hopeful that their work can soon be transferred to human patients.
Bjorn Scheffler, a neuroscientist at Florida University said, “Our study shows for the first time the entire process that goes on in our brain for life. We can, in a dish, recapture the process in front of our eyes.”
Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they said they had also found an efficient way to make the cells replicate. “It's like an assembly line to manufacture and increase the number of brain cells,” said Dr. Scheffler.
Researchers have often said that the development of replicated brain cells was decades away, but also that once they were available, the severe brain illnesses would shortly become a memory like polio and small pox.
This is not the first time brain cells have been grown in the lab from stem cells. “But nobody has been capable of replicating the process from the very first step to the very last step - it's unique to get the whole process happening before your eyes,” said Scheffler
With most such breakthroughs, the scientists warn that the research needs further development and that actual cures are a long way off. Not so in this case, however. In unusually optimistic language, Dr. Dennis Steindler, a member of the Florida team said he has high hopes for the discovery yielding therapeutic results quickly.
“The home run is that we will find drugs to mobilize our own population (of brain stem cells), which is what this study is focusing on. I’m quite optimistic we will translate this to human therapeutics in the very near future,” he said.
“Because advances in the field of regenerative medicine are occurring so quickly at the moment, it could be anytime. It could be next week, it could be ten years. I'd like it to be next week.”
Invariably, news media reporting on stem cell breakthroughs with embryos mention the ‘magic pair’ of diseases: Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, as justification for allowing researchers access to living embryos. More and more reports, however, are coming forward that show that embryo research is a dead end and the real future lies with adult stem cell research.
Is this a joke, or is there hope for me after all...?
Is this a joke, or is there hope for me after all...?
Stem cell technology, whether it turns out to be adult, embryonic, corld blood, whataver.. has unfathomable potential.
It is possible that the stem cells could be coaxed into regrowing into Dopamine or GABA producing cells, or any other cell.
The fact that this can be done shows how amazing the human body and our biology is.
Ps 139:14 -
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Thanks for the ping. This is awesome.
bump
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0503965102v1
Can some scientist/physician translate this for the common folk?
Neuroscience
Phenotypic and functional characterization of adult brain neuropoiesis
( adult stem cells | electrophysiology | in vitro | neurogenesis | subventricular zone )
Bjorn Scheffler *{dagger}{ddagger}, Noah M. Walton *{dagger}, Dean D. Lin {sect}, A. Katrin Goetz *, Grigori Enikolopov ¶, Steve N. Roper *{sect}, and Dennis A. Steindler *{ddagger}{sect}||
Departments of *Neuroscience and {sect}Neurosurgery, University of Florida, McKnight Brain Institute, Gainesville, FL 32610; and ¶Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724
Communicated by Darwin J. Prockop, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, May 12, 2005 (received for review January 18, 2005)
The modern concept of neurogenesis in the adult brain is predicated on the premise that multipotent glial cells give rise to new neurons throughout life. Although extensive evidence exists indicating that this is the case, the transition from glial to neuronal phenotype remains poorly understood. A unique monolayer cell-culture system was developed to induce, expose, and recapitulate the entire developmental series of events of subventricular zone (SVZ) neurogenesis. We show here, using immunophentoypic, ultrastructural, electrophysiological, and time-lapse analyses, that SVZ-derived glial fibrillary acidic proteinlow/A2B5+/nestin+ candidate founder cells undergo metamorphosis to eventually generate large numbers of fully differentiated interneuron phenotypes. A model of postnatal neurogenesis is considered in light of known embryonic events and reveals a limited developmental potential of SVZ stem/progenitor cells, whereby ancestral cells in both embryonic and postnatal/adult settings give rise to glia and GABAergic interneurons.
A unique monolayer cell-culture system was developed to induce, expose, and recapitulate the entire developmental series of events of subventricular zone (SVZ) neurogenesis.
The scientists gave all-purpose cells from mice a nice environment to grow up in that seems to be enough like the environment inside the brain to coax the all-purpose cells into developing into specialized cells.
We show here, using immunophentoypic, ultrastructural, electrophysiological, and time-lapse analyses, that SVZ-derived glial fibrillary acidic proteinlow/A2B5+/nestin+ candidate founder cells undergo metamorphosis to eventually generate large numbers of fully differentiated interneuron phenotypes.
The scientists used different types of evidence, not just the time-lapse photographs, to show that they were observing the development of the specialized cells. Although seeing is believing, the scientists also used other ways --molecular fingerprinting, if you will -- (a) to define some of the distinctive characteristics of the all-purpose cells and (b) to show that the specialized cells were indeed quite different from the all-purpose cells that they came from.
I won't dwell on the implications of the research other than to say that it doesn't look like only embryos have identifiable cells that can grow into specialized nerve cells. This principle may have been established before this research came out, but certainly this research strengthens the case.
I hope this helps. Feel free to ask follow-up.
Bump-mark
Scientists grow brain cells in a dish
(CNN) -- American scientists have discovered a way of creating new brain cells in a dish -- a breakthrough that could lead to treatments for conditions such as Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.
The team, based at the University of Florida's McKnight Brain Insititute, said they were able to identify master cells in the brains of mice and grow them in large batches.
If the discovery also applied to humans, it could be possible to generate enough of a patient's own stem cells to restore damaged brain function. Since the recipient of a transplant would also be the donor, the procedure could also be carried out without the need for immune system suppressing drugs.
"It's like an assembly line to manufacture and increase the number of brain cells," said neuroscientist Bjorn Scheffler, who led the study.
"We can basically take these cells and freeze them until we need them. Then we thaw them, begin a cell-generating process, and produce a ton of new neurons."
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, also marks a major advance in stem cell research. Although stem cells that form the building blocks of skin, bone, flesh and organs have been identified, the actual stem cell in the brain had proved difficult to identify.
"We've isolated for the first time what appears to be the true candidate stem cell," said McKnight executive director Dennis Steindler.
"We've actually witnessed the stem cell give rise to new neurons. Possibly a new method may come up to identify the mother of all stem cells, but we're confident this is it."
The brain continues to produce a small number of brain cells in adulthood, with stem cells developing into fully-fledged cells in a process similar to the natural production of blood cells.
The new method of neurogenesis is able to generate far greater amounts of cells than the body can on its own.
"As far as regenerating parts of the brain that have degenerated, such as in Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and others of that nature, the ability to regenerate the needed cell type and placing it in the correct spot would have major impact," said neurosurgeon Eric Holland of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Holland said the technique could also enhance understanding of how brain tumors occur, since stem cells and and cancer cells share many of the same characteristics: "Knowing what makes these cells tick may help by furthering our knowledge of the biology of the tumor."
http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/06/16/brain.cells/index.html
---The brain continues to produce a small number of brain cells in adulthood, with stem cells developing into fully-fledged cells in a process similar to the natural production of blood cells.---
I knew from some science I read that cells from the olfactory area can assist in spinal cord injury. That was in the Australian news recently and was featured on Lifesite. That article said that the cells could assist in the growth of nerve cells. Does this research now mean that the stem cells going to nerves can divide? The only way to get more cells is for them to divide, I thought. I thought this is what was holding up the process and why more primitive cells were needed. Also, are the cells in the article the ones damaged in Parkinson's disease? Don't know that but that seems to be the big deal with Michael J. Fox, for example.
Thanks for the nice explanation, apo!
Frank
http://www.cathmed.org/newsroom/currentissues.html
A friend sent me this link and I posted it in a Pro Life thread recently. The PDF file is about all I know about stem cells. It helped a lot, though.
Frank
Ping!
Thanks, Frank, for the link. For preparation of the pamphlet, it looks like the Family Research Council drew upon quite a knowledgeable (and Catholic :) source!
This research group -- Steindler, Scheffler et al. -- has championed the notion that the formation of mature nerve cells will, at least at a conceptual level, have many elements in common with the formation of mature blood cells. (See here for a brief summary of their view.) In adult bone marrow, certain primordial progenitors of mature blood cells divide, so, by analogy, certain progenitors of mature nerve cells can be expected also to divide, even in the adult. I do not doubt that there is evidence of this in literature with which I am unfamiliar. Solely on the basis of this abstract, however, one cannot say whether these particular cultured cells divided at all or merely were induced to develop into more mature nerve cells.
The only way to get more cells is for them to divide, I thought. I thought this is what was holding up the process and why more primitive cells were needed.
You were right.
Also, are the cells in the article the ones damaged in Parkinson's disease? Don't know that but that seems to be the big deal with Michael J. Fox, for example.
As I understand, GABAergic neurons, mentioned in the abstract, are damaged in Huntington's disease, a devastating disorder. Again, in principle, there is no reason one cannot expect there also to exist, in the adult, progenitors that both divide and give rise to dopaminergic neurons, which are destroyed in Parkinson's. I do not know whether such progenitor cells have been identified.
One very strong reason for taking this route is, the stem cells are from the patient's body, thus histamine reactions when reintroduced would be avoided.
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