Link to study at end of article. Dr. Sugaya is well respected
uses 'adult' stem cells - read his comments on cloning at end of this
piece.
UCF Research Links Protein, Stem Cells and Potential Alzheimer's
Treatment
Aug. 6, 2007
By Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala
A team of scientists led by professor Kiminobu Sugaya at the
University of Central Florida may have found a new way to treat
Alzheimer's disease.
The team, which also included researchers from the Karolinska
Institute in Sweden and the National Institutes of Health, combined a
technique for transplanting stem cells into rats and a newly
discovered compound, phenserine. It reduces the amount of a plaque
that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The combination triggered
the regeneration of neurons that are destroyed by Alzheimer's and are
necessary for healthy brain functions.
The research findings were published in the July 24 edition of PNAS
(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).
There are 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's, one of the
most common forms of dementia, according to the National Alzheimer's
Association. That's why finding treatments has become so important to
many scientists.
"It's very exciting," Sugaya said. "If our success with mice can
translate into the human brain, it could give hope to patients and
their families.
Sugaya, who is the founder of the International Brain Conference at
UCF, has been spent his entire career studying the brain. Six years
ago, he reported that brain stem cells transplanted into aged rats
seemed to become functional neurons and improved age-associated
memory loss, with no side effects.
When Sugaya transplanted stem cells into the brains of Alzheimer's-
model mice, he found that the stem cells did not form any neurons.
Sugaya found that excess amounts of the amyloid-precursor protein
(APP), which produces a component of the plaques, a hallmark of
Alzheimer's, prevent stem cells from becoming neurons.
The research team treated Alzheimer's-
with phenserine, which is known to reduce the amount of APP in the
brain. The APP level in the brain of treated mice was reduced by up
to 50 percent, which would provide optimal conditions for the brain
stem cells to become neurons. Under this environment, the research
team found that stem cells transplanted into the brain successfully
produced neurons.
Many people believe that once scientists figure out how to create
tissue from stem cells, most of the diseases that plague mankind will
be eradicated almost overnight, Sugaya said. But he said his research
shows that "it's not so simple."
Sugaya is now investigating whether a combination of phenserine and
his compound (NBI-18), which increases brain stem cells by 600
percent, could become another way to treat Alzheimer's. Increasing
neurons may be important in improving brain function, especially in
people with neurodegenerative diseases.
Sugaya tempers his enthusiasm with the caveat that more research,
including clinical trials, will be needed should the next set of
research benchmarks be met.
"It's one thing to be able to manipulate stem cells for creating
specific tissue types – the brain, the eyes, the heart – but every
disease is different," he said. "Simply producing transplantable
cells isn't enough. You have to think of how the disease works and
figure out ways to apply the cells. Sometimes that may mean coming up
with other compounds that help deliver the therapy."
To view the study, visit http://www.pnas.
http://news.
page=article&
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Sugaya, Kiminobu (Personal Communication, January 6,
2003). "Fundamental problem with the cloning is based on the
metylation of DNA. Why our body cell has exact same genetic
materials, but they become different type of cells? This is because
of gene regulation by DNA metylaltion, which is a kind of memory of
the cells.
If we put nuclei isolated from skin or other cells to the egg, it
contains memory to become skin some extent.
So, it may not develop into the normal embryo to generate stem cells.
Now we are working on the adult bone marrow stem cells to make
neurons and retinal cells. It is promising and we will continue this
direction."
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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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