Free Republic

Canadian scientists have produced neurons from human skin stem cells in a breakthrough that might revolutionize neurodegenerative disease treatments. The Laval University researchers succeeded in producing neurons in vitro using stem cells extracted from adult human skin. That marks the first time such an advanced state of nerve cell differentiation has been achieved from human skin, according to lead researcher professor Francois Berthod. The scientists say the breakthrough could eventually lead to revolutionary advances in the treatment of neurodegenerative illnesses such as Parkinson's disease. Berthod and his team described the method used to produce the neurons in a recent issue...

A biosensor chip that measures electrical activity in living cells promises both new techniques for neuroscience and the ability to develop new drugs by testing them on living neurons. Infineon Technologies (Munich, Germany) and Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry (Munich, Germany) have succeeded in connecting a newly developed biosensor chip with living neurons and in reading electrical signals produced by the cells. Introduced at the recent International Solid State Circuits Conference in San Francisco and named Neuro-Chip, this chip promises to allow neurobiological and neurochemical researchers to gain new insights into the biological function of human neurons, nerve tissue,...