http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16913997
Seen on the above web site today
Scientists in the US have successfully made human brain cells in the lab that are an exact replica of genetically caused Parkinson's disease.
I think this has to be the breakthrough we have been waiting for.
James
Its very good news but
- it's mostly relevant to a subset of PD caused by Parkin
- it helps testing, it isnt a cure or even a treatment
- cures or new treatments are still probably many years away
would be [u]more[/u] than happy to be corrected on these points!
- it's mostly relevant to a subset of PD caused by Parkin
- it helps testing, it isnt a cure or even a treatment
- cures or new treatments are still probably many years away
would be [u]more[/u] than happy to be corrected on these points!
I feel there is more hope, i.e. immediate relevance to the research - quote from the summary:
By reverse engineering human skin cells to become induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and then coaxing them to become neural dopamine cells, scientists in the US have developed a way to study a genetic cause of Parkinson's disease in lab-made neurons. Their findings, which they write about in the 7 February issue of Nature Communications, reveal some potential new drug targets for Parkinson's and a new platform to screen treatments that might mimic the protective functions of parkin, the gene they investigated.
As I understand it investigating genetic markers, especially of people who seem to have markers which increase their risk and yet other markers which seem to protect, they can get insights into the way (or ways?) the neurons come to be damaged
By reverse engineering human skin cells to become induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and then coaxing them to become neural dopamine cells, scientists in the US have developed a way to study a genetic cause of Parkinson's disease in lab-made neurons. Their findings, which they write about in the 7 February issue of Nature Communications, reveal some potential new drug targets for Parkinson's and a new platform to screen treatments that might mimic the protective functions of parkin, the gene they investigated.
As I understand it investigating genetic markers, especially of people who seem to have markers which increase their risk and yet other markers which seem to protect, they can get insights into the way (or ways?) the neurons come to be damaged
didnt notice that bit!