TIMES.KY

Cayman Islands, Caribbeanand International News
Monday, Mar 20, 2023

Scientists take ‘important step’ in stem cell therapy to treat Parkinson’s

Scientists take ‘important step’ in stem cell therapy to treat Parkinson’s

Chinese Academy of Sciences team discovered a new technique they say improved efficacy and safety in study on mice.

Chinese researchers have discovered a new technique they say improved the efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy in mice models of Parkinson’s disease.

The team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said their study findings paved the way for potentially developing a stem cell therapy to treat the disease.

The researchers identified two cell surface markers of dopamine neurons, which are damaged or destroyed in the midbrain of someone with Parkinson’s disease.

They then injected cells with these markers into the brains of mice, which they found could significantly improve the dopamine neurons in the midbrain – a key step in the treatment of the disease.

The finding “represents a revolutionary step on the road towards more effective and safer stem cell therapies”, according to the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation on Tuesday.




Neurological disorders are the leading source of disability globally, and Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s. There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, but the symptoms can be managed with medications and other therapies.

Worldwide, some 6.1 million people had Parkinson’s disease in 2016, according to the Lancet’s Global Burden of Disease Study in 2018. That number is expected to double to more than 12 million by 2040.

In China, it is estimated that the number of Parkinson’s disease patients could rise to about 5 million by 2030, accounting for half of the world’s cases.

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder affected by the impairment or death of cells in deep parts of the brain called the substantia nigra, which produces the neurotransmitter dopamine and controls body movement.

When 60 to 80 per cent of dopamine is lost, Parkinson’s symptoms such as tremor and balance problems occur.

Stem cell therapy is considered to be a promising treatment strategy because the disease is caused by the loss of one type of cell from a certain spot in the brain.

“Parkinson’s disease is the most suitable one [for stem cell therapy] because it is very clear which cells are lost and where should they be transplanted,” said Chen Yuejun, corresponding author of the study and a researcher with the CAS.

However, previous studies have generated both target and off-target neuronal cells during transplantation, resulting in low efficacy and uncertainty around safety.

“Our study wanted to answer two questions – why the previous studies generated more than a dozen off-target cells, and how we could enrich [certain] cells,” said Chen, who heads the Laboratory of Neural Differentiation and Regeneration at the CAS.

Stem cell therapy is seen as a promising strategy to treat Parkinson’s disease.


Chen and the team did a single-cell sequencing of dopaminergic neurons and found that the off-target cells were generated in areas near the midbrain.

They also found two markers that could facilitate highly enriched dopaminergic neurons after transplantation.

The percentage of neurons could be as high as 80 per cent in the transplant area, according to the paper. That compares to about 10 per cent in two recent preclinical studies.

“The study established a method for obtaining highly purified donor cells that can be transplanted with stable and predictable cell therapy results,” the authors said in a statement on the CAS website.

“It is an important step towards more effective and safer cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

TIMES.KY
Close
0:00
0:00
Home Secretary Suella Braverman tours potential migrant housing in Rwanda as asylum deal remains mired in legal challenges
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
Jeremy Hunt insists his Budget will get young parents and over-50s back into work
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
Mexican President Claims Mexico is Safer than the U.S.
A brief banking situation report
Lady bites police officer and gets instantly reaction
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
BBC Director General, Tim Davie, has apologized, but not resigned, yet, following the disruption of sports programmes over the weekend
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
Senator Tom Cotton: If the Mexican Government Won’t Stop Cartels from Killing Americans, Then U.S. Government Should
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
Don Lemon, a CNN anchor, has provided a list of five areas that he believes the black community needs to address.
Hello. Here is our news digest from London.
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
Givenchy Store in New York Robbed of $50,000 in Merchandise
European MP Clare Daly condemns US attack on Nord Stream
Former U.S. President Carter will spend his remaining time at home and receive hospice care instead of medication
Tucker Carlson called Trump a 'demonic force'
US Joins 15 NATO Nations in Largest Space Data Collection Initiative in History
White House: No ETs over the United States
U.S. Jet Shoots Down Flying Object Over Canada
Being a Tiktoker might be expensive…
SpaceX, the private space exploration company, made a significant breakthrough in their mission to reach space.
China's top tech firms, including Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, NetEase, and JD.com, are developing their own versions of Open AI's AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT
This shocking picture, showing how terrible is the results of the earthquake in Turkey
President Joe Biden delivered the 2023 State of the Union Address , in order to help Americans that missed the 2022 speech, do not have internet, and suffer from short memory.
The desk of King Carlos Alberto of Sardinia has many secret compartments
Today's news from Britain - 9th February 2023
The five largest oil companies in the West generated combined profits of nearly $200 billion in 2022, which has led to increased calls for governments to impose tougher windfall taxes
2 earthquakes in Turkey killed over 2,300 people
Powerful Earthquake Strikes Turkey and Syria, Killing More Than 1,300 People.
Turkish photographer Ugur Gallenkus portrays two different worlds within a single image. Brilliant work
×