Stem cells provide new tool for studying disease and identifying ALS drugsApril 17, 2007Results of two studies funded by Project A.L.S. and appearing in today's advance online publication of Nature Neuroscience demonstrate that embryonic stem cells may provide a new tool for studying disease mechanisms and for identifying drugs to slow ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Both studies were completed by researchers participating in an ongoing collaboration with the Project A.L.S./Jenifer Estess Laboratory for Stem Cell Research, the world's first and only privately funded laboratory focused exclusively on stem cells and ALS. The complementary studies, led by Kevin Eggan, of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, and Serge Przedborski, of Columbia University Medical Center compellingly demonstrate that embryonic stem cells can be used to create an in vitro model of ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease that selectively destroys motor neurons, messenger cells responsible for virtually all voluntary movement. Until now, scientists have not known whether motor neurons in ALS die because of a problem within the cell—or from outside the cell. The study by Eggan's group describes successful use of a novel embryonic stem cell-based model for ALS that will help scientists to answer this and other questions. Utilizing this model both Eggan and Przedborski's groups observed that non-neuronal cells called astrocytes may have a toxic effect on motor neurons in ALS. The Columbia study provides further evidence that astrocytes are toxic to motor neurons in ALS. The Columbia team's discovery of astrocyte-toxic mediators provides not only an insight into how the damage associated with ALS occurs, and a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of the disease — but also provides a target for potential new therapies aimed at slowing motor neuron degeneration in ALS. "That's what happens when scientists from major institutions work together toward shared goals. Project A.L.S. prides itself on building productive research teams from elegant parts," said Valerie Estess, director of research for Project A.L.S. "The remarkable interest, curiosity and open-mindedness for new and promising lines of research is emblematic of Project A.L.S.," added Serge Przedborski, Page and William Black Professor of Neurology, at Columbia. PROJECT A.L.S. |
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| Related Stem Cells Current Events and Stem Cells News Articles Chemists influence stem-cell development with geometry University of Chicago scientists have successfully used geometrically patterned surfaces to influence the development of stem cells. The new approach is a departure from that of many stem-cell biologists, who focus instead on uncovering the role of proteins in controlling the fate of stem cells. Amniotic fluid cells more efficiently reprogrammed to pluripotency than adult cells In a breakthrough that may help fill a critical need in stem cell research and patient care, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have demonstrated that skin cells found in human amniotic fluid can be efficiently "reprogrammed" to pluripotency, where they have characteristics similar to human embryonic stem cells that can develop into almost any type of cell in the human body. UC Irvine biologists help sequence Hydra genome UC Irvine researchers have played a leading role in the genome sequencing of Hydra, a freshwater polyp that has been a staple of biological research for 300 years. Researchers characterize stem cell function The promise of stem cells lies in their unique ability to differentiate into a multitude of different types of cells. But in order to determine how to use stem cells for new therapeutics, scientists and engineers need to answer a fundamental question: if a stem cell changes to look like a certain type of cell, how do we know if it will behave like a certain type of cell? Novel stroke treatment passes safety stage of UCI-led clinical trial A clinical research trial of a new treatment to restore brain cells damaged by stroke has passed an important safety stage, according to the UC Irvine neurologist who led the effort. Model may offer better understanding of embryonic development A mathematical model developed at Purdue University can predict complex signaling patterns that could help scientists determine how stem cells in an embryo later become specific tissues, knowledge that could be used to understand and treat developmental disorders and some diseases. University of Michigan scientists discover bone marrow can harbor HIV-infected cells University of Michigan scientists have identified a new reservoir for hidden HIV-infected cells that can serve as a factory for new infections. Repeated anesthesia can affect childrens ability to learn There is a link between repeated anaesthesia in children and memory impairment, though physical activity can help to form new cells that improve memory, reveals new research from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. A new indicator of poor prognosis in node-negative colorectal cancer patients Tumor budding at the invasive tumor front of colorectal cancer is recognized as an independent prognostic factor significantly related to both lymph node and distant metastasis. Breakthrough reveals blood vessel cells are key to growing unlimited amounts of adult stem cells In a leap toward making stem cell therapy widely available, researchers at the Ansary Stem Cell Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered that endothelial cells, the most basic building blocks of the vascular system, produce growth factors that can grow copious amounts of adult stem cells and their progeny over the course of weeks. More Stem Cells Current Events and Stem Cells News Articles |
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