Replacing The Cells Lost In Parkinson Disease
ScienceDaily (Dec. 5, 2007) — Parkinson disease (PD) is caused by the
progressive degeneration of brain cells known as dopamine (DA) cells.
Replacing these cells is considered a promising therapeutic strategy.
Although DA cell--replacement therapy by transplantation of human
fetal mesencephalic tissue has shown promise in clinical trials,
limited tissue availability means that other sources of these cells
are needed.
Now, Ernest Arenas and colleagues at the Karolinska Institue, Sweden,
have identified a new source for DA cells that provided marked
benefit when transplanted into mice with a PD-like disease.
In the study, DA cells were derived from ventral midbrain (VM) neural
stem cells/progenitors by culturing them in the presence of a number
of factors -- FGF2, sonic hedgehog, and FGF8 -- and engineering them
to express Wnt5a.
This protocol generated 10-fold more DA cells than did conventional
FGF2 treatment. Further analysis revealed that these cells initiated
substantial cellular and functional recovery when transplanted into
mice with PD-like disease.
Importantly, the mice did not develop tumors, a potential risk that
has precluded the clinical development of embryonic stem cells as a
source of DA cells. These data led the authors to suggest that Wnt5a-
treated neural stem cells might be an efficient and safe source of DA
cells for the treatment of individuals with PD.
The article Wnt5a-treated midbrain neural stem cells improve dopamine
cell replacement therapy in parkinsonian mice is published in the
December 3 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
---
Adapted from materials provided by Journal of Clinical Investigation,
via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
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APA
MLA Journal of Clinical Investigation (2007, December 5). Replacing
The Cells Lost In Parkinson Disease. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August
6, 2008, from http://www.scienced
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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