• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
Thursday, June 8, 2023
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS

Neural cells derived from a monkey’s skin

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
March 15, 2013
in NEWS
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram
 
Because the cells were derived from adult cells in each monkey's skin, the experiment is a proof-of-principle for the concept of personalized medicine, where treatments are designed for each individual.
 
And since the skin cells were not "foreign" tissue, there were no signs of immune rejection — potentially a major problem with cell transplants. "When you look at the brain, you cannot tell that it is a graft," says senior author Su-Chun Zhang, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Structurally the host brain looks like a normal brain; the graft can only be seen under the fluorescent microscope."
 
Marina Emborg, an associate professor of medical physics at UW-Madison and the lead co-author of the study, says, "This is the first time I saw, in a nonhuman primate, that the transplanted cells were so well integrated, with such a minimal reaction. And after six months, to see no scar, that was the best part."
 
The cells were implanted in the monkeys "using a state-of-the-art surgical procedure" guided by an MRI image, says Emborg. The three rhesus monkeys used in the study at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center had a lesion in a brain region that causes the movement disorder Parkinson's disease, which afflicts up to 1 million Americans. Parkinson's is caused by the death of a small number of neurons that make dopamine, a signaling chemical used in the brain.
 
The transplanted cells came from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), which can, like embryonic stem cells, develop into virtually any cell in the body. iPS cells, however, derive from adult cells rather than embryos.
 
In the lab, the iPS cells were converted into neural progenitor cells. These intermediate-stage cells can further specialize into the neurons that carry nerve signals, and the glial cells that perform many support and nutritional functions. This final stage of maturation occurred inside the monkey.
 
Zhang, who was the first in the world to derive neural cells from embryonic stem cells and then iPS cells, says one key to success was precise control over the development process. "We differentiate the stem cells only into neural cells. It would not work to transplant a cell population contaminated by non-neural cells."
 
Another positive sign was the absence of any signs of cancer, says Zhang — a worrisome potential outcome of stem cell transplants. "Their appearance is normal, and we also used antibodies that mark cells that are dividing rapidly, as cancer cells are, and we do not see that. And when you look at what the cells have become, they become neurons with long axons [conducting fibers], as we'd expect. They also produce oligodendrocytes that are helping build insulating myelin sheaths for neurons, as they should. That means they have matured correctly, and are not cancerous."
 
The experiment was designed as a proof of principle, says Zhang, who leads a group pioneering the use of iPS cells at the Waisman Center on the UW-Madison campus. The researchers did not transplant enough neurons to replace the dopamine-making cells in the brain, and the animal's behavior did not improve.
 
Although promising, the transplant technique is a long way from the clinic, Zhang adds. "Unfortunately, this technique cannot be used to help patients until a number of questions are answered: Can this transplant improve the symptoms? Is it safe? Six months is not long enough… And what are the side effects? You may improve some symptoms, but if that leads to something else, then you have not solved the problem."
 
Nonetheless, the new study represents a real step forward that may benefit human patients suffering from several diseases, says Emborg. "By taking cells from the animal and returning them in a new form to the same animal, this is a first step toward personalized medicine."
 
The need for treatment is incessant, says Emborg, noting that each year, Parkinson's is diagnosed in 60,000 patients. "I'm gratified that the Parkinson's Disease Foundation took a risk as the primary funder for this small study. Now we want to move ahead and see if this leads to a real treatment for this awful disease."
 
"It's really the first-ever transplant of iPS cells from a non-human primate back into the same animal, not just in the brain," says Zhang. "I have not seen anybody transplanting reprogrammed iPS cells into the blood, the pancreas or anywhere else, into the same primate. This proof-of-principle study in primates presents hopes for personalized regenerative medicine."
 
Story Source:
 
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Wisconsin-Madison. The original article was written by David Tenenbaum.
 
Tags: Stem Cells
Share12Tweet7Share2ShareShareShare1

Related Posts

Professor Laurence Hurst

Bath Professor given international award recognizing lifetime research achievements

June 8, 2023
Scientists Develop Inorganic Resins for Generating and Purifying Radium and Actinium

Scientists develop inorganic resins for generating and purifying radium and actinium

June 7, 2023

DNAmFitAge: Biological age indicator incorporating physical fitness

June 7, 2023

Despite major progress nationally, two mercury emissions hotspots remain

June 7, 2023
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • plants

    Plants remove cancer causing toxins from air

    41 shares
    Share 16 Tweet 10
  • Element creation in the lab deepens understanding of surface explosions on neutron stars

    36 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9
  • Deep sea surveys detect over five thousand new species in future mining hotspot

    35 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9
  • How life and geology worked together to forge Earth’s nutrient rich crust

    35 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Bath Professor given international award recognizing lifetime research achievements

Scientists develop inorganic resins for generating and purifying radium and actinium

DNAmFitAge: Biological age indicator incorporating physical fitness

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 51 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In