The progressive degeneration of brain cells known as dopamine (DA) cells eventually leads to the condition called Parkinson’s disease (PD).

A promising therapeutic strategy may be the replacement of these cells. Despite the promising results observed in clinical trials, limited availability of human fetal mesencephalic tissue means that other sources of these cells are needed for routine DA cell–replacement therapy to be a possible.

Now, a new source for DA cells that provided marked benefit when transplanted into mice with a PD-like disease has been identified by Ernest Arenas and colleagues at the Karolinska Institue, Sweden.

By culturing them in the presence of a number of factors — FGF2, sonic hedgehog, and FGF8 — and engineering them to express Wnt5a, DA cells were derived from ventral midbrain (VM) neural stem cells/progenitors.

In contrast to the conventional FGF2 treatment, the new protocol produced 10-fold more DA cells. Further examination revealed that when transplanted into mice with PD-like disease, the cells initiated substantial cellular and functional recovery.

Embryonic stem cells have been eliminated as a potential source of DA cells due to their tendency to become cancerous. Using non-embryonic cells, the mice in the study did not develop tumors. The study results suggest that individuals with PD may be safely and efficiently treated with Wnt5a-treated neural stem cells.

The December 3rd issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation has published the results of the study in an article titled, “Wnt5a-Treated Midbrain Neural Stem Cells Improve Dopamine Cell Replacement Therapy in Parkinsonian Mice”.

By restoring the decaying brain cells of a 65-year-old to the levels of an 18-year-old, Australian scientists believe they have cracked the code to preventing dementia.

Dementia is a group of degenerative brain disorders that includes Alzheimer’s disease. More than 200,000 Australians suffer from these conditions, but new hope may be on the way in the form of breakthroughs which were presented to pharmaceutical chiefs at a closed event last week.

Facilitating the boost of mental functions such as understanding and memory, the scientists have developed two ways to stimulate stem cells and regenerate the brain.

Increasing the number of stem cells in young and middle-aged brains could help stave off dementia according to leading stem cell scientist Dr. Rod Rietze and his team at the University of Queensland.

“The idea is not to transplant anything

A cure for Crohn’s Disease could be found with the use of stem cells. Scientists are evaluating the efficacy of stem cell treatment on Crohn’s Disease when they are used to ‘re-boot’ the immune system.

The possibility of long-term remission for tens of thousands of people in the UK, and many more worldwide, is being investigated in a major clinical trial by University of Nottingham researchers. The experiments will involve taking stem cells from a patient’s own body and using them as a form of treatment.

The first of it’s kind to treat Crohn’s, the study is currently recruiting patients for its Europe-wide trial. Most commonly affecting the colon and small intestines, the condition is a chronic ongoing disease. The main symptoms are weight loss, fatigue, diarrhea, and pain in the abdomen. These are caused by inflammation, deep ulcers and scarring to the wall of the intestine.

About 3,000 to 6,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, and currently, about 60,000 people in the UK suffer from the condition. Immune suppressant drugs, and steroids which can only be administered in the short term are current treatments. There is no cure for the disease.

But a cure for up to 50 percent of sufferers could be in the making according to Professor Chris Hawkey and colleagues Dr. Paul Fortun and Dr. Tony Shonde who are together, conducting the Nottingham-led stem cell therapy.

Professor Hawkey said:

In advanced aging, a cognitive decline is typically observed as the years go by. But scientists may have an answer for this dilemma as stem cell research has found a novel approach to slow and possibly prevent this phenomenon.

Giving rise to new nerve cells every single day, the adult brain contains highly “regenerative” stem cells. As the brain ages, the number of stem/progenitor cells and their progeny decline dramatically according to previous studies. The number of stem cells we have in old age could be preserved in by boosting the number of stem cells when we are young or middle aged according to Dr. Rietze and his team.

The number of stem cells typically found in the brain is increased by using two separate approaches. Stimulating resident stem cells to divide and increase in number, the first approach used by Dr. Rietze and his team involves performing an acute infusion of growth hormone directly into the brain. These results indicate that a new target for stem cell-related treatments may be growth hormone, which may also play an integral role in regulating brain stem cells.

Engineers who figure out how to take the delicate results of lab experiments and make them robust enough to survive the onslaught of industry, have a long road to follow in order to get from breakthrough to application. Thus, the news last week that adult skin cells had been reprogrammed using a novel technique, to transform them into embryonic stem cells, was seen as only the beginning and not the end by biomedical engineer PeterZandstra and others like him.

Germany’s research minister wants to ease restrictions on stem cell research after recent research revealed that common skin cells can be modified to have embryonic like power. The U.S. and Japanese research has also prompted a pledge to invest more money in adult stem cell research.

“We will double research funds for the technology for reprogramming adult cells from 5 to 10 million euros ($7 to 15 million) a year, so that work can proceed quickly,” Education and Research Minister Annette Schavan told the newsmagazine Focus.

“Germany should become the motor of adult stem-cell research,” she added, noting that the recent scientific developments are a means of ending the embryonic stem cell debate.

The two teams, one from Kyoto University in Kyoto, Japan, and another from the University of Wisconsin, both worked independently in what could be described as a “race” to be the first to reprogram skin cells. Both announcements were made on November 20th.

Since embryos are discarded in the process, embryonic stem cell research has come under harsh scrutiny. Their versatility has prompted support of equal force as well. The two sides may soon have little to debate about.

The ethical controversy surrounding the research would be eliminated with the use of reprogrammed skin cells.

Stem cell research is strictly regulated in Germany. Not scientific research with embryos can be conducted, unless the embryos were imported into the country prior to January 1st, 2002. A one time change to extend the cut-off date was proposed, however, that may no longer be necessary.

“What’s important is that there is now greater hope of being able one day to do without tests on embryonic stem cells,” she said.

More countries should benefit form the finding other than Germany. Regulatory bodies around the world have unanimously supported the research, which will take the cap off funding in some cases, and allow scientists to access cells that have embryonic power.