The source of this article is The Independent:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?story=646759

World first: brain cells grown in laboratory
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
14 June 2005


Scientists have grown fully mature brain cells in a laboratory for the
first time, using a technique that mimics the natural process of brain
regeneration.

It promises to open the door to new ways of treating and possibly curing
debilitating brain diseases such as Parkinson's, epilepsy and Alzheimer's.

The scientists said they were able to produce virtually unlimited
quantities of brains cells, which could revolutionise transplant medicine
as well as leading to new drugs to stimulate the regrowth of damaged nerves.

Bjorn Scheffler, a neuroscientist at Florida University who made the
breakthrough, said the procedure involved mimicking the natural process
through which key stem cells in the brain orchestrate partial regeneration
of the brain.

"Our study shows for the first time the entire process that goes on in our
brain for life. We can, in a dish, recapture the process in front of our
eyes," Dr Scheffler said. It was not the first time that scientists had
shown stem cells can be manipulated in the lab to produce mature brain
cells, he added. "But nobody has been capable of replicating the process
from the very first step to the very last step - it's unique to get the
whole process happening before your eyes."

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, was done with mice but the scientists believe it is only a matter
to time before they are able to reproduce the same process of development
with human brain cells.

The findings, in effect, show it is possible to construct an assembly line
for manufacturing unlimited quantities of human brain cells, or neurons, Dr
Scheffler said. "We can basically take these cells and freeze them until we
need them. Then we thaw them, begin a cell-generating process and produce a
ton of new neurons."

Professor Dennis Steindler, who led the Florida research team, said the
strength of the technique lay in its ability to identify vital stem cells
that have the power to grow into adult brain cells.

"We've isolated for the first time what appears to be the true candidate
stem cell," Professor Steindler said. "There have been other candidates
but, in this case, we used a special microscope that allows us to watch
living cells over long periods of time.

"So we've actually witnessed the stem cell give rise to new neurons. We've
watched it under a living microscope generate brand new neurons.

"For many years, different groups - including mine - have claimed we're
getting close to identifying the true stem cell progenitor, characterising
it and watching its magic.

"What we've learnt from the 50 years of research into bone marrow and blood
stem cells is to be extremely careful in claiming we've got the mother of
all stem cells in adult brain tissue," he said.

Time-lapse images taken by the scientists show how simple, immature stem
cells gradually develop and grow into the fully functioning cell - vital to
the healthy functioning of the brain.

"Now we can make a lot of brain cells from just a very small number of
these stem cells, which is great because we'd have to do that to repair
neurological disease," Professor Steindler said.

Another possibility is to use the technique as a model of natural brain
repair so that scientists can test potential drugs for stimulating the
regrowth of damaged nerves.

"We are already beginning the process of screening for compounds that will
allow this to happen perhaps without sticking anything into our brains,"
Professor Steindler said.

"It's been the goal of this field of stem cell biology and regenerative
medicine to get us closer to being able to pop a pill in your mouth when
you have a neurological disorder that has a specific action on your own
indigenous stem cell population.

"This is getting us one step closer to that because we can now produce
large quantities of brain cells at will and we can now manipulate them in
the laboratory.

"The home run is that we will find drugs to mobilise our own population [of
brain stem cells], which is what this study is focusing on.

"I'm quite optimistic we will translate this to human therapeutics in the
very near future," he added. "Because advances in the field of regenerative
medicine are occurring so quickly at the moment, it could be anytime. It
could be next week, it could be ten years. I'd like it to be next week."

Hopes for cure

Dementia

In Alzheimer's disease parts of the brain degenerate, leading first to loss
of memory and later to loss of personality. Abnormal tissues called senile
plaques and tangles appear in the brain.

There are few treatments available though some drugs can slow progression
of the disease by a few months in some people. A treatment that halted the
destruction of brain cells or led to their regeneration would bring new
hope to millions of sufferers.

Parkinson's disease

This is a slowly progressing degenerative disorder of the nervous system
which causes tremor, delayed movements and rigidity. Its cause lies deep
within the brain, in an area called the basal ganglia. Treatment is with a
variety of drugs, including levodopa and bromocriptine, but they do not
cure or halt the progression of the disease though they make movement easier.

Epilepsy

Anything that irritates the brain can cause a seizure, such as lack of
oxygen or a fever. In epilepsy even a minor stimulus may be enough -
flashing lights, video games or even touching parts of the body. Repeated
seizures caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain is epilepsy.
Drugs can usually control the seizures, but in 10 to 20 per cent of
patients surgery has to be considered.
    14 June 2005 04:03

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