Re: UK researchers turn nerve cells back to stem cells Sep 07, 2000

[Dolores <db144@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Richard,
Are you enjoying lawyering?
Dolores
-----Original Message-----
From: Richard L. Pikunis, Jr., Esquire <hiredgun@xxxxxxxx>
To: PARKINSN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <PARKINSN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Friday, September 08, 2000 10:20 PM
Subject: UK researchers turn nerve cells back to stem cells Sep 07, 2000


               UK researchers turn nerve cells back to stem cells Sep
07, 2000 (Reuters)
               Reuters

               In a possible step toward new treatments for brain
disorders such as Alzheimer's and
               Parkinson's disease, UK scientists have found a way to
turn mature nerve cells back into
               more primitive forms.

               In experiments with tissue from newborn rats, the
researchers were able to turn nerve cells
               known as oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPGs) back into
stem cells. Stem cells, which
               give rise to all cells and tissue in the body, have
grabbed much attention of late because of
               their potential for treating a range of diseases. They
are, however, extremely difficult to
               harvest from the human body.

               This latest research points to a potential new source for
stem cells. Human OPGs, Dr. Toru
               Kondo told Reuters Health, are much easier to harvest
than stem cells are. In the life cycle
               of this type of cell, OPGs are basically teenagers--they
arise from stem cells and develop
               into mature oligodendrocytes. If human OPGs can be coaxed
back to infancy, these new
               stem cells may help treat degenerative brain diseases,
according to Kondo.

               Kondo and Martin Raff, both of University College London,
report their findings in the
               September 8th issue of the journal Science.

               In their experiments, the researchers bathed the OPGs in
a number of growth factors that
               caused them to revert back to stem cells. Next, Kondo and
Raff used techniques that not
               only coaxed the new stem cells to develop into mature
oligodendrocytes, but also into two
               other types of advanced nerve cells. This, according to
the study authors, shows that OPGs
               are not "irreversibly committed" to growing up into one
type of cell.

               The idea that mature body cells can be steered away from
their original programming has
               been controversial, but a growing body of research
suggests it is possible. "We have a
               really clear example here of reprogramming (nerve
cells)," Ben Barres, a stem cell
               researcher at Stanford University in California, told
Reuters Health.

               While this "proof of principle" still needs to be proven
possible in humans, Barres said that
               coaxing OPGs and other precursor cells to revert to stem
cells could have a huge impact on
               treating human disease. A person's own precursor cells
could be extracted and used to
               treat them, he noted.

               "The potential is enormous for almost any brain injury,"
Barres stated.

               SOURCE: Science 2000;289:1754-1757.

               Reuters Health Copyright:
               Copyright © 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Republication or redistribution of
               Reuters Limited content, including by framing or similar
means, is expressly prohibited
               without the prior written consent of Reuters Limited.
Reuters Limited shall not be liable for
               any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions
taken in reliance thereon.

               Reviewed on: Sep 07, 00