Watching Stem Cells Repair the Human Brain

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http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle & id=10189

 

 

Watching Stem Cells Repair the Human Brain

 

TAU researcher shows viability of bone marrow stem cells with unique MRI

tracking methods

There is no known cure for neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's,

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. But new hope, in the form of stem cells created

from the patient's own bone marrow, can be found — and literally seen — in

laboratories at Tel Aviv University.

 

 

Dr. Yoram Cohen of TAU's School of Chemistry has recently proven the viability

of these innovative stem cells, called mesenchymal stem cells, using in-vivo

MRI. Dr. Cohen has been able to track their progress within the brain, and

initial studies indicate they can identify unhealthy or damaged tissues, migrate

to them, and potentially repair or halt cell degeneration. His findings have

been reported in the journal Stem Cells.

 

" By monitoring the motion of these cells, you get information about how viable

they are, and how they can benefit the tissue, " he explains. " We have been able

to prove that these stem cells travel within the brain, and only travel where

they are needed. They read the chemical signalling of the tissue, which indicate

areas of stress. And then they go and try to repair the situation. "

 

 

Tracking live cells in the brain

 

Dr. Yoram Cohen

To test the capabilities of this innovative new stem cells, Dr. Cohen created a

study to track the activity of the live cells within the brain using the in-vivo

MRI at the Strauss Centre for Computational Neuro-Imaging. Watching the live,

active cells has been central to establishing their viability as a therapy for

neurodegenerative disease.

 

Dr. Cohen and his team of researchers took magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and

used them to label the stem cells they tested. When injected into the brain,

they could then be identified as clear black dots on an MRI picture.. The stem

cells were then injected into the brain of an animal that had an experimental

model of Huntington's disease. These animals suffer from a similar

neuropathology as the one seen in human Huntington's patients, and therefore

serve as research tool for the disease.

 

On MRI, it was possible to watch the stem cells migrating towards the diseased

area of the brain. " Cells that go toward a certain position that needs to be

rescued are the best indirect proof that they are live and viable, " explains Dr.

Cohen. " If they can migrate towards the target, they are alive and can read

chemical signalling. "

 

 

An ethically viable stem cell

 

This study is based on differentiated mesenchymal cells (MSC), which were

discovered at Tel Aviv University. Bone marrow cells are transformed into

NTFs-secreting stem cells, which can then be used to treat neurodegenerative

diseases. This advance circumvents the ethical debate caused by the use of stem

cells obtained from embryos.

 

Although there is a drawback to using this particular type of stem cell — the

higher degree of difficulty involved in rendering them " neuron-like " — the

benefits are numerous. " Bone marrow-derived MSCs bypass ethical and production

complications, " says Dr. Cohen, " and in the long run, the cells are less likely

to be rejected because they come from the patients themselves. This means you

don't need immunosuppressant therapy. "

 

 

Working towards a real-life therapy

 

Dr. Cohen says the next step is to develop a real-life therapy for those

suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. The ultimate goal is to repair

neuronal cells and tissues. Stem cell therapy is thought to be the most

promising future therapy to combat diseases such as Huntington's, Alzheimer's

and Parkinson's diseases, and researchers may also be able to develop a therapy

for stroke victims. If post-stroke cell degeneration can be stopped at an early

stage, says Dr. Cohen, patients can live for many years with a good quality of

life.

In collaboration with Dr. Cohen, this work on tracking live stem cells in the

brain was done by Noam Shemesh, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Chemistry at

Tel Aviv University, and Dr. Ofer Sadan from the group of Drs. Offen and

Eldad Melamed from the Felsenstein Medical Research Center at the Rabin Medical

Center.

 

 

 

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" I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had

some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin. " ~ Jerry Newport