March 22, 2016
Margarida Azevedo
Rutgers
and Stanford University researchers have developed 3-D “scaffolds,” or
fibers, that can support healthy and high-functioning human neurons
derived from adult stem cells, which can be transplanted to the brain
to replace diseased neurons. The technology represents a possible new
therapeutic strategy for numerous neurological conditions,
including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis.
The
study detailing the platform, “Generation and transplantation of reprogrammed human
neurons in the brain using 3D microtopographic scaffolds,”
was published in Nature Communications.
Parkinson’s
disease results from the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells, causing
impaired movement, balance, and coordination. Cell replacement therapy
with human pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons has been explored as a
potential therapy for neurodegenerative dysfunction and central nervous
system injury. Efforts have largely failed, however, as reprogrammed
neurons are dissociated and disorganized during transplantation, resulting in
poor cell survival and functionality in vivo.
Researchers
designed a 3-D scaffold of micro polymer fibers, which promotes in
situ stem cell neuronal reprogramming and neuronal engraftment in the
brain. When the scaffolds were injected into the brains of mice,
researchers reported a 100-fold increase in neuronal survival over other
methods used in transplantation.
“If
you can transplant cells in a way that mimics how these cells are already
configured in the brain, then you’re one step closer to getting the brain to
communicate with the cells that you’re now transplanting,” Professor Prabhas V.
Moghe, the study’s senior author and research director for the School of
Engineering/Health Sciences Partnerships at Rutgers, said in a press release.
“In this work, we’ve done that by providing cues for neurons to rapidly network
in 3-D.”
Future
research plans include the improvement of scaffold biomaterials to increase the
number of implanted neurons in the brain, allowing for greater therapeutic
benefits. The idea is to create a network of high functioning and better
controlled neurons. Testing in mouse models of Parkinson’s disease is currently
underway, but researchers estimate the technology will need another 10 to 20
years of work to be ready for clinical trials.
http://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/2016/03/22/future-brain-therapies-for-parkinsons-possible-with-stem-cell-bioengineering-innovation/
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