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April 28, 2005
This Could Be Big
From the University of Wisconsin-Madison:
Shedding new light on brain-related diseases, UW-Madison scientists Jeffrey Johnson and Marcus J. Calkins have discovered a way to "re-engineer" the brain that may defend against such diseases as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. Johnson's team is pioneering a procedure that prevents oxygen from building up to toxic levels in the brain. ...The team transplanted cells with high levels of Nrf2 into the brains of mice. The mice were then exposed to toxins that mimic the destructive effects of Huntington's disease. The Nrf2, for the most part, protected the mice from toxicity.
Better yet, a single transplanted cell seemed to have a proximity effect--the toxicity defense spread into neighboring cells. This promising defense could lead to an effective surgical procedure for humans, but Johnson claims that a non-invasive drug may come sooner.
"We've screened over a million molecules that activate the [Nrf2] pathway," Johnson said. "I'm hoping a drug [that could be tested on humans] could be ready in two years." ...
If an effective Nrf2-activating drug were available, those anticipating Huntington's could prevent it entirely. With better detection methods for neural illnesses such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's diseases, the fatal effects of these diseases could also be negated.
Posted by Dave at April 28, 2005 08:46 PM
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