 |
 |
appeared in the latest edition of the local Bradley University Newspaper under a heading called "IN The Spotlight" and the title: "Microscopes, Lab Coats and Stem Cells" and is about my friend Dr. Craig Cady: Dr. Craig Cady, assistant professor of biology, hopes his stem cell research will help patients suffering from brain-related disease and injury by replacing dead cells with altered stem cells. Finding a cure for diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s is the ultimate goal for Dr. Craig Cady, assistant professor of biology. “When you meet people suffering from these diseases, you feel a lot of self-imposed drive.” Working in a neurophysiology lab within the Biology Department at Olin Hall, Cady’s research involves forcing stem cells to function like neurons. His research also involves working with Dr. Ken Franco, a cardio-thoracic surgeon at Methodist Medical Center, to study the possibility of altering stem cells to function as heart cells. The lab is funded by a $25,000 grant from PeoriaNEXT, an organization formed to promote science, technology, and creativity in the Peoria area; a $75,000 Methodist Medical Center Foundation grant; and start-up dollars from Bradley. “We work with three kinds of stem cells,” Cady explains, noting he is not conducting research with the controversial embryonic stem cells, “human bone marrow, rat bone marrow, and human umbilical cord stem cells.” Spearheaded by Illinois State Representative David Leitch (R-93rd District), a stem cell cord blood law has been passed, making Illinois the only state that mandates that a pregnant woman is asked during her second trimester if she wants to donate the umbilical cord for stem cell research at no cost to the donor. Typically, the umbilical cord is disposed of. Cady explains, “Cord blood stem cells are very primitive, so they can become many types of cells. Embryonic stem cells have the potential to become any type of cell in the body.” He says, “Stem cell research has gotten a lot of bad press, some from people who are against research using embryonic stem cells, so they speak out against all stem cell research. There’s been criticism that scientists haven’t found a cure for any diseases through stem cell research, but it’s a very new field. We’ve only been studying stem cells for about six years.” THE VALUE OF STEM CELLS Cady addresses why stem cell research is important. “A couple of things make stem cells differ from other cells. First, stem cells remain stem cells when they divide. They don’t become brain cells or heart cells. They’re undifferentiated, meaning they have no one specific function. They’re found in many parts of the body. The reason they’re all over is they can become specialized cells under the right stimulation. Stem cells play an important role in replacing damaged cells. However, stroke or certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease can result in the death of neurons that are not replaced. Now, we hope we are able to replace those dead neurons with stem cells that can convert to neurons.” ". . . they can become specialized cells under the right stimulation. Stem cells play an important role in replacing damaged cells." Cady continues, “I got into this field when I was at Southern Illinois University College of Medicine. A woman at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., did an experiment on mice. She injected stem cells into the blood vessel in the tails of mice. She was studying heart diseases, and when she looked at where these stem cells went, she found that they went to the heart and also into many areas of the brain. There’s a barrier between general circulation and the brain, but the stem cells could get across that and got into the brain without damage. Stem cells show a behavior called chemotaxis, meaning they migrate to injury sites in response to chemical signals from injured cells. We don’t know why they exhibit this behavior, but if you can inject stem cells into the general circulation and they can move into the brain, this is something that has great potential for using stem cells to treat brain injury and diseases. It’s that exciting feature that got me in the field. Patients with Parkinson’s disease have had a very specific group of neurons die in the brain as a result of the disease.” Ultimately, the goal is to help patients suffering from brain-related disease and injury by replacing the dead cells with the altered stem cells. Four undergraduate research assistants have helped Cady in the research lab. With Cady at the helm, they have found a mix of stem cells, chemicals, and gases that stimulate the stem cells to behave like neurons. RESEARCH FOR THE RIGHT RECIPE Finding that correct mix took nearly a year of research to get the cells to the point where they looked like neurons. From there, they began to reach out and contact each other like neurons do. The stem cells can be stimulated to work like neurons over a 24-hour period. “Next, we checked to see if they have proteins only found in neurons. We’ve started testing and found they are expressing these proteins. Since we can successfully make stem cells look like neurons and stimulate them to make proteins found only in neurons, we are now determining if they function like neurons.” Another branch of Cady‘s research involves transplanting stem cells into animals. “We are collaborating with Dr. Dzung Dinh, the head of the Neurosurgery Department at the University of Illinois College of Medicine here in Peoria. We have a rat model of a spinal cord injury. We transplant the stem cells into the spinal cord of the injured animal and determine if the stem cells integrate into the damaged areas of the spinal cord. These experiments are designed to replace damaged cells in the spinal cord in order to recover limb function and improve mobility.” Looking at the stem cell research for heart cells, Cady says his work is still in the early stages of development. He says, “I don’t know as much about heart cells. Kate [Koehler Pastucha ’06, a cell and molecular biology major,] and I designed a technique to culture heart muscle cells from sheep. We were able to isolate and culture these cells the first time we attempted this. Exposing the stem cells to lower amounts of oxygen improved their ability to grow and divide.” Cady is part of a stem cell research team based in Peoria. Also on the team are Dr. Franco, Dr. Dinh, and Dr. Jasti Rao, a cancer researcher at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. The team meets weekly to discuss stem cell research as it applies to cancer, cardiac, and neurological patients. “We want the Peoria area to become a center for stem cell research in Illinois,” says Cady. In addition to his stem cell research, Cady is researching how estrogen protects the brain from Alzheimer’s disease, stress-related injuries in the brain, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. -- Joan Blessington Snyder 54/14 [log in to unmask] http://www.pwnkle.com/jes/jes_web/index.htm “Hang tough……..no way through it but to do it.” Chris in the Morning Northern Exposure ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn