Brain diseases are seen as a big challenge for stem cell therapies, in part because the brain itself is such a complex web of neurons. Simply replacing a few lost neurons won't necessarily replicate the lost connections. We have a story discussing some of those issues and describint innovative approaches CIRM grantees are taking to developing new cures for brain diseases.
The good news is that some CIRM grantees are learning that stem cells can be coaxed to form the support cells in the brain that nourish neurons. These support cells could be what provide a therapy for diseases such as ALS, MS, stroke and spinal cord injury. Other grantees are using stem cells in the lab to test new drugs for Parkinson's disease.
A group at UC Davis is attempting to use the body's own mesenchymal stem cells to preserve unaffected neurons in people with Huntington's disease. This technique won't bring back lost cells, but saving additional cells from dying off could prevent some of the terrible side effects of the disease.
Another team of CIRM grantees at UC Irvine found that at least in rodents, stem cells were able to repair some memory loss due to Alzheimer's disease. This work is a long way from treating humans, but still provides hope for people who have lost loved ones to this devastating disease. Here's a video we produced about that work:
We've produced several other videos about CIRM's brain related research:
Fred H. Gage talks about using embryonic stem cells to model neuronal disease Spinal Cord Injury: Progress and Promise in Stem Cell Research Huntington's Disease: Progress and Promise in Stem Cell Research Parkinson's Disease: Progress and Promise in Stem Cell Research Spotlight on ALS seminar Spotlight on Huntington's disease seminar Spotlight on Alzheimer's disease seminar Spotlight on Batten disease seminar Spotlight on Parkinson's disease seminar
No comments:
Post a Comment