- Researchers have discovered that a gene previously implicated in a variety of forms of cancer is also a key regulator of neural stem cell proliferation. Understanding how the protein expressed by the gene PTEN promotes the proliferation of neural stem cells could aid efforts to use stem cells in treating neurological disorders. Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Hong Wu and colleagues at the UCLA School of Medicine reported on the regulatory role of Pten in the November 1, 2001, Science Express, the online counterpart of the journal Science. ©2001 Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Related chapters from BN: Chapter 7: Life-Span Development of the Brain and Behavior
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 4: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 899 - Posted: 11.02.2001

A culturing technique produces a large source of potent cells for use in brain-disease treatment. By Jamie Talan NEWSDAY Researchers have isolated two specific populations of brain cells from human fetal tissue and expanded them in culture, yielding an incredibly large and still potent source of cells for eventual transplantation to treat a number of brain diseases. Steve Goldman and his colleagues at Cornell University Medical College said this technique "should allow us to produce 60 cells from every one cell we start with." They can obtain 10 million cells from tissue procured from one fetal brain, which means multiplying each by 60. The new cells retained their ability to act as neural stem cells. © 2001 KnightRidder.com

Related chapters from BN: Chapter 7: Life-Span Development of the Brain and Behavior; Chapter 11: Motor Control and Plasticity
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 4: Development of the Brain; Chapter 5: The Sensorimotor System
Link ID: 627 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Recent milestones are encouraging, but human applications still far away By Jennifer Fisher Wilson Using gene therapy, scientists earlier this year reversed blindness in three dogs afflicted with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). The news excited the scientific world and popular press. LCA is a rare, inherited disease characterized by a severe loss of vision at birth. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, and University of Florida showed that injecting a good copy of RPE65 protein into the right eye of LCA-afflicted dogs restored sight in that eye.1 But human clinical trials are more than a year away. The Scientist 15[18]:17, Sep. 17, 2001 © Copyright 2001, The Scientist, Inc. All rights reserved.

Related chapters from BN: Chapter 10: Vision: From Eye to Brain
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 7: Vision: From Eye to Brain
Link ID: 601 - Posted: 10.20.2001

A preliminary report of fetal spinal cord tissue transplantation in two patients suggests that the procedure is both feasible and safe in humans, setting the stage for future research seeking better treatments for spinal cord injuries. The results, part of a four-year study, are included in two papers in the September issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma. The clinical study was based on a long history of laboratory research showing that transplants of embryonic nerve tissue in laboratory animals could achieve partial anatomical and functional repair following spinal cord injury (SCI). To determine whether this strategy could be successfully translated to humans, a pilot safety and feasibility study was initiated in 1997 in a group of eight patients with progressive posttraumatic syringomyelia.

Related chapters from BN: Chapter 11: Motor Control and Plasticity
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 5: The Sensorimotor System
Link ID: 581 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Early Success Seen With 2nd Type of Stem Cell
By NICHOLAS WADE A second kind of human embryonic stem cell appears to have demonstrated promise in repairing damaged tissues by helping paralyzed mice regain some powers of movement. Dr. John D. Gearhart, a biologist at Johns Hopkins University, said the mice, whose spinal nerve cells had been destroyed by a virus, managed to move again, though not perfectly, after receiving injections of human embryonic cells. Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company

Related chapters from BN: Chapter 7: Life-Span Development of the Brain and Behavior; Chapter 11: Motor Control and Plasticity
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 4: Development of the Brain; Chapter 5: The Sensorimotor System
Link ID: 358 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Adult stem cells may adapt for body's benefit 'Astounding' ability could repair damaged human organs, tissue David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor Friday, May 4, 2001 For the first time in the fast-moving field of stem cell research, scientists have discovered that primitive cells in adult bone marrow can transform themselves into an "astounding" variety of other cells crucial to many parts of the body. Until this discovery, researchers had believed that only the so-called stem cells of embryos in their earliest stages of growth could possess this kind of wide-ranging ability. ©2001 San Francisco Chronicle Page A - 3

Related chapters from BN: Chapter 7: Life-Span Development of the Brain and Behavior
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 4: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 275 - Posted: 10.20.2001

3 promising stem cell studies fuel debate over embryo use Rick Weiss, Washington Post Friday, April 27, 2001 Three research reports released yesterday provide tantalizing evidence that cells from human embryos and fetuses have the potential to cure ailments affecting millions of Americans -- a conclusion likely to intensify an already heated debate over the ethics of human embryo cell research. In one report, old rats performed better after scientists injected brain cells from aborted human fetuses into the rodents' age-addled brains. It's the first indication that such transplants can prompt cognitive improvements, and it hints at a treatment for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. ©2001 San Francisco Chronicle Page A - 1

Related chapters from BN: Chapter 7: Life-Span Development of the Brain and Behavior
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 4: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 265 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Fat Cells May Combat Disease Hope for joint repair, brain implants Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times Tuesday, April 10, 2001 Fat, the great American obsession, might aid treatments for a variety of conditions, from cartilage implants in damaged knees to brain implants for Parkinson's disease and strokes, researchers report today. A team of researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Pittsburgh has isolated stem cells -- primitive cells with the potential to become virtually any type of tissue -- from fat collected by liposuction and converted them into bone, cartilage and muscle. 2001 San Francisco Chronicle Page A - 2

Related chapters from BN: Chapter 13: Homeostasis: Active Regulation of the Internal Environment
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 9: Homeostasis: Active Regulation of the Internal Environment
Link ID: 240 - Posted: 10.20.2001

Promising Way to Repair Brain Less controversial, more plentiful source of stem cells reported Carl T. Hall, Chronicle Science Writer Monday, November 6, 2000 Primitive brain cells taken from cadavers have the stunning ability to regenerate into healthy, living neurons, scientists reported yesterday. The findings, reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, may point to a plentiful new source of neuronal stem cells, as the primitive cells are called, that avoids the ethical controversies and practical limits of using cells derived from fetal tissue. Researchers also reported promising early results yesterday using stem cells to treat even some of the most difficult brain conditions, including head trauma, spinal cord injuries and stroke, which can often cause damage considered beyond the reach of modern medicine. (c) 2000 San Francisco Chronicle Page A1

Related chapters from BN: Chapter 7: Life-Span Development of the Brain and Behavior
Related chapters from MM:Chapter 4: Development of the Brain
Link ID: 77 - Posted: 10.20.2001