Date:
April 3, 2015
Source:
D'Or Institute for Research and
Education
Summary:
Researchers have taken an
important step toward using the implantation of stem cell-generated neurons as
a treatment for Parkinson's disease. Using an FDA approved substance for
treating cancer, they were able to grow dopamine-producing neurons derived from
embryonic stem cells that remained healthy and functional for as long as 15
months after implantation into mice, restoring motor function without forming
tumors.
Brazilian researchers at D'OR
Institute for Research and Education (IDOR) and Federal University of Rio de
Janeiro (UFRJ) have taken what they describe as an important step toward using
the implantation of stem cell-generated neurons as a treatment for Parkinson's
disease. Using an FDA approved substance for treating stomach cancer, Rehen and
colleagues were able to grow dopamine-producing neurons derived from embryonic
stem cells that remained healthy and functional for as long as 15 months after
implantation into mice, restoring motor function without forming tumors.
Parkinson's, which affect as many
10 million people in the world, is caused by a depletion of dopamine-producing
neurons in the brain. Current treatments include medications and electrical
implants in the brain which causes severe adverse effects over time and fail to
prevent disease progression. Several studies have indicated that the
transplantation of embryonic stem cells improves motor functions in animal
models. However, until now, the procedure has shown to be unsafe, because of
the risk of tumors upon transplantation.
To address this issue, the
researchers tested for the first time to pre-treat undifferentiated mouse
embryonic stem cells with mitomycin C, a drug already prescribed to treat
cancer. The substance blocks the DNA replication and prevents the cells to
multiply out of control.
The researchers used mice modeled
for Parkinson's. The animals were separated in three groups. The first one, the
control group, did not receive the stem cell implant. The second one, received
the implant of stem cells which were not treated with mitomycin C and the third
one received the mitomycin C treated cells.
After the injection of 50,000
untreated stem cells, the animals of the second group showed improvement in
motor functions but all of them died between 3 and 7 weeks later. These animals
also developed intracerebral tumors. In contrast, animals receiving the treated
stem cells showed improvement of Parkinson's symptoms and survived until the
end of the observation period of 12 weeks post-transplant with no tumors
detected. Four of these mice were monitored for as long as 15 months with no
signs of pathology.
Furthermore, the scientists have
also shown that treating the stem cells with mitomycin C induced a four-fold
increase in the release of dopamine after in vitro differentiation.
"This simple strategy of
shortly exposing pluripotent stem cells to an anti-cancer drug turned the
transplant safer, by eliminating the risk of tumor formation," says the
leader of the study Stevens Rehen, Professor at UFRJ and researcher at IDOR.
The discovery, reported on April
in the journal Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, could pave the
way for researchers and physicians to propose a clinical trial using
pluripotent stem cells treated with mitomycin C prior to transplant to treat
Parkinson's patients and also other neurodegenerative conditions.
"Our technique with
mitomycin C may speed the proposal of clinical trials with pluripotent cells to
several human diseases," says Rehen. "It is the first step to make
this kind of treatment with stem cells possible."
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided
by D'Or Institute for Research and Education. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
1
Mariana Acquarone, Thiago Melo,
Fernanda G. Meireles Ferreira, Jordano Brito-Moreira, Gabriel Oliveira, Sergio
Ferreira, Newton Castro, Fernanda Tovar-Moll, Jean Christophe Houzel and
Stevens K. Rehen. Mitomycin-treated undifferentiated embryonic stem
cells as a safe and effective therapeutic strategy in a mouse model of
Parkinson's disease. Front. Cell. Neurosci., 2015 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00097
Cite This Page:
D'Or Institute for Research and
Education. "Possible progress against Parkinson's and good news for stem
cell therapies." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 3 April 2015.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150403104223.htm>.
http://health.einnews.com/article/258280048/cOSJk4entRAttHsn
No comments:
Post a Comment