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October 26, 2004
Neural Stem Cell Research
Science Blog has an interesting article on the promise of stem cell treatments for various diseases, including Huntington's Disease. The excerpt below talks about the success of neural stem cells in Parkinson's and Huntington's Disease...
In other work, scientists at the University of Wisconsin at Madison have rescued the cells that are attacked by Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. Both diseases are movement disorders that specifically kill off neurons that use the neurotransmitter dopamine. ''Replacement of dopamine neurons using embryonic stem cells has long been the holy grail,'' says Clive N. Svendsen, PhD. ''But stem cell transplantation can introduce serious problems, including tumors and dyskinesia, or impaired, sporadic muscle movements.''
So instead of replacing the dopamine cells, she and her colleagues found a way to provide support to neurons under attack. Dopamine neurons require glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) to survive. So even if stem cells could be successfully introduced to an adult brain, chances are they would require GDNF. Yet in an earlier study, Berhstock's group showed that GDNF alone could restore function to the neurons affected by Parkinson's.
...
''We thought real cells might better deliver GDNF to the brain,'' Svendsen says. The group considered using embryonic stem cells, but realized they might lead to tumors and dyskinesia, so they tried neural stem cells. These cells don't have quite the enormous potential of embryonic stem cells, but they can become astrocytes, a type of glial cell found in the brain. Best of all, they do not induce tumors.
Posted by Dave at October 26, 2004 05:53 PM
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