Cloned Nerve Cells Cure Parkinson's-Like Disease in Mice

Researchers have found a novel way of producing therapeutic nerve cells that can cure mice with Parkinson's-like disease. Their work was described in the September 21,2003, online issue of Nature Biotechnology.

An earlier study showed that unlimited numbers of genetically matched dopamine nerve cells would be generated by using cloned stem cells whose genetic material originated from the mouse's own tail. Dopamine neurons are the ones that are lost in patients with Parkinson's disease. However, this method worked for cells derived from some mice but not from others.

The researchers developed a better way of selectively generating dopamine neurons that eliminates variability in order for therapeutic cloning to work consistently for every animal. Using this new technique, the team differentiated stem cells into genetically matched neural cells in vitro. They were able to develop nerve cells specific to the forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain, and spinal cord, as well as supporting glial cells. The next step is to develop unique cell lines for a number of Parkinsonian mice and show that these cloned cells can cure each individual mouse.

"The new technique is a model system that will provide scientists with the opportunity to see how the brain develops in vitro, and conduct experiments such as observing in a culture dish the developmental consequences of disrupting single or multiple genes,” said senior author Lorenz Studer, M.D., head of the stem cell and tumor biology laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC, New York, NY, USA; www.mskcc.org), who worked with a team of colleagues from MSKCC, Cornell University (New York, NY, USA), and the University of Connecticut (Storrs, USA).




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