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Very interesting. Does anybody know anything else re: this brain cell gene therapy business? Clinical trials,etc.? Researcher's name looks familiar but I can't recall in what context. Carole H. --- Joao Paulo Carvalho <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Good news from BBC to share with you : > --------------------------------- > Genes help brain recapture youth > > As the brain ages, many cells shrink > but few die > Withered brain cells could bloom again > using gene therapy > > techniques to restore them to their > former glory, > scientists > have said. > > The finding could help doctors develop > new therapies for > diseases such as Alzheimer's, which > causes a breakdown in > > brain function. > > It also reinforces scientists > understanding of how the > brain > works and suggests that old brain cells > do not die, they > simply shrivel. > > The technique has been shown to restore > the brain cells > in > monkeys - although an ongoing study is > examining whether > it > reinvigorates memory and thinking - and > the researchers > are > seeking permission to test it on > patients with > Alzheimer's > disease. > > Cells survive > > Dr Mark Tuszynski, of the University of > California, San > Diego, led the study and explained how > his team sees the > ageing process of the brain. > > "We've all heard > the dogma > that we lose 10,000 > neurones > (brain cells) a day > after the age > of 20," he said. > "Well, that is > false. That doesn't > happen." > > A count of cells in > the cortex - a > key area in the > brain involved in > thinking - showed > that very few > were lost with age, > he said. > > However, cells in > the part > known as the basal > forebrain, > were dramatically > affected by > age and had stopped > producing > certain chemicals - a change that > affects thinking > ability in the cortex. > > "These cells are like the air traffic > controllers of the > brain," Dr > Tuszynski said. > > The cells were not dead, however, and > when genes that > make > nerve growth factor (NGF) - an > essential chemical found > in > the brain - were injected into the > brain, they were > revived. > > Human tests next > > The researchers used eight monkeys with > an average age of > > 23 - the monkey equivalent of the late > 60s to 70s in > humans. > > The researchers inserted the NGF gene > into skin cells and > > then injected the modified cells into > the front of the > monkeys' > brains. Four monkeys got injections of > skin cells without > the > gene. > > "We restored the number of cells we > could detect to about > > 92% of normal for a young monkey and > size of the cells > was > restored to within 3%," Dr Tuszynski > said. > > The application of this technique to > Alzheimer's - which > destroys chemical messengers used by > the cells of the > brain > to communicate with each other - will > need to be tested > in > humans, as animals do not suffer the > disease in the same > way. > > The researchers have already applied to > the US Food and > Drug Administration for permission to > run human trials, > although it would be a number of years > before they could > tell > if the treatment was effective. > > The study was published in the > Proceedings of the > National > Academy of Sciences journal. > ---------------- > > Cheers , > +----| Joao Paulo de Carvalho |------ + > | [log in to unmask] | > +--------| Salvador-Bahia-Brazil |------+ > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com