(HealthDay News) -- Separating science from politics with his signature, President Barack Obama lifted the eight-year ban on embryonic stem cell research on Monday.
During a late morning press conference, Obama issued the executive order removing federal funding limits on such research that were first imposed by his predecessor, President George W. Bush, in 2001.
According to the Associated Press, Obama said Monday that he is allowing federal taxpayer dollars to fund significantly broader research on embryonic stem cells because "medical miracles do not happen simply by accident," and promised his administration would make up for the ground lost under his predecessor.
The Obama order does not address a separate legislative ban, which precludes any federal money paying for the development of stem cell lines, according to the AP. The legislation, however, does not prevent funds for research on those lines created without federal funding.
While The New York Times reported that it may take many months for the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop new guidelines for stem cell research, scientists were already applauding the president's actions.
"The availability of federal funding for research on cell lines that had been off limits during the Bush administration, coupled with billions of newly available dollars in federal stimulus money, could set the stage for a tidal wave of support that could propel stem cell research well into the next decade -- if things move quickly," said a statement from Stanford University researchers in California.
"This action is both welcome and overdue," Dr. Philip Pizzo, dean of the Stanford School of Medicine and a governing board member of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, said in the statement. "This vote of confidence from President Obama in the promise of embryonic stem cell research validates and extends CIRM's mission to help millions of people suffering from currently incurable medical conditions. It is also a powerful signal that advances in medical research must be pursued even in times of economic difficulty."
Dr. Joseph Heyman, board chairman of the American Medical Association, said: "The AMA supports biomedical research on stem cells and has encouraged strong public support of federal funding for this research. Today's action by President Obama will help scientists realize the potential of stem cell research to benefit the many Americans living with diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's."
Peter T. Wilderotter, president and CEO of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation in Short Hills, N.J., said in a statement, "With a stroke of his pen, President Obama acknowledged the will of the majority of Americans and harnessed the power of the federal government to move research forward. By removing politics from science, President Obama has freed researchers to explore these remarkable stem cells, learn from them and possibly develop effective therapies using them."
The general enthusiasm followed a wave of similar sentiments last month when initial reports of the new policy came out of a closed-door meeting between Obama and House of Representatives' Democrats.
Stem cell research received a big boost in January, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever human trial using embryonic stem cells as a medical treatment. Geron Corp., a California-based biotech company, was given the OK to implant embryonic stem cells in eight to 10 paraplegic patients who can use their arms but can't walk.
In 2001, then-President Bush limited federal funding for stem cell research only to human embryonic stem cell lines that already existed.
The decision prompted some scientists to worry that the United States would fall behind other countries in the drive to unlock the potential of stem cell research.
Embryonic stem cells are the most basic human cells, believed to be capable of growing into any type of cell in the body. Working as a sort of repair system for the body, they can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells. The scientific hope is that stem cells may, at some point in the future, become capable of treating a variety of diseases and conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes, heart disease and spinal cord injuries, according to the NIH.
National polls continue to find that the majority of Americans favor embryonic stem cell research, although some surveys have found that that support has declined somewhat in recent years.
Many people object to the use of embryonic stem cells, contending that the research requires the destruction of potential life, because the cells must be extracted from human embryos.
The stem cells being used in the recently approved Geron trial were obtained from one of the Bush administration's approved stem cell lines. And no federal funds were used in the development of this treatment.
Since the restrictions on embryonic stem cell research took effect, many research institutions have redirected their focus to other types of stem cells, such as adult stem cells.
Adult stem cells can give rise to all the specialized types of cells found in tissue from which they originated, such as skin. But, scientists don't agree on whether adult stem cells may yield cell types other than those of the tissue from which they originate, according to the NIH.
More information
To learn more about stem cells, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Showing posts with label Stem-Cell-Transplant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stem-Cell-Transplant. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Chemotherapy Has Turned Me Into a Bloodhound
Cancer drugs scramble the signals that the nose and tongue send to the brain, with bizarre results by Jason Carpenter
When one of the doctors offhandedly mentioned that my sense of taste or smell could be affected by the high-dose chemotherapy treatments I was getting in my battle against multiple myeloma, I didn't pay much attention. Not until I found I could detect the slightest whiff of anything from 20 feet. Not until anything I put in my mouth had a taste so intense that I vomited every meal for two weeks.
It was a horrible cycle that I could not break: When a meal came back up, it smelled awful and made me puke more. My mom, who spent some time at the hospital with me and at my house after I was discharged, developed a two-puke-pan routine: She would remove one pan on my command, then slip another one under me so I didn't have to endure the output.
While in the hospital, I developed a vomit association with just about everything the institution stocked for supplies: bathroom soap, hand soap, paper towels, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and even facial tissue (I could smell tissues rippling in the air across the room). Clearly, some of this was in my head, but a good portion of it was not, according to breastcancer.com.
Thirty-two days after my transplant, I cannot smell hospital supplies without gagging. Because I need to constantly disinfect my hands and face (trying to banish germs that could attack my weakened immune system), I've had to switch to neutral-smelling antibacterial baby wipes. Things are somewhat better: I gag but don’t usually vomit, though I do risk hurling on my laptop just writing this down. I'm told this will slowly ebb over the next weeks or months.
Even my sense of touch has been affected. For the first few post-op visits to the hospital, I nearly jumped out of my skin with pain when the nurse drew blood. I have had my blood drawn hundreds of times, and it's never hurt like this. The nurse noticed and said, "Your nerves are sensitive because of the chemo. It's completely normal."
Normal, my ass. I'm a bloodhound; my food tastes as if someone turned the volume to 11; and I screech like a little girl when I have my blood drawn. But I’ll say it again: I'll take all these wacky side effects over cancer.
As to my progress, I went to the doctor today and my white blood count is back up to 4.1 (close to the low end of normal), my platelets are good, and my red blood cells are charging back. The doctor is so pleased with my recovery that I don't need to see her for three weeks. She even said that I can start to ease the restrictions of being around people. Which means I’m planning to play poker again, tonight, latex gloves and all.
See Jason Carpenter's ongoing video postings about his life with cancer. Warning: Some expletives.
When one of the doctors offhandedly mentioned that my sense of taste or smell could be affected by the high-dose chemotherapy treatments I was getting in my battle against multiple myeloma, I didn't pay much attention. Not until I found I could detect the slightest whiff of anything from 20 feet. Not until anything I put in my mouth had a taste so intense that I vomited every meal for two weeks.
It was a horrible cycle that I could not break: When a meal came back up, it smelled awful and made me puke more. My mom, who spent some time at the hospital with me and at my house after I was discharged, developed a two-puke-pan routine: She would remove one pan on my command, then slip another one under me so I didn't have to endure the output.
While in the hospital, I developed a vomit association with just about everything the institution stocked for supplies: bathroom soap, hand soap, paper towels, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and even facial tissue (I could smell tissues rippling in the air across the room). Clearly, some of this was in my head, but a good portion of it was not, according to breastcancer.com.
Thirty-two days after my transplant, I cannot smell hospital supplies without gagging. Because I need to constantly disinfect my hands and face (trying to banish germs that could attack my weakened immune system), I've had to switch to neutral-smelling antibacterial baby wipes. Things are somewhat better: I gag but don’t usually vomit, though I do risk hurling on my laptop just writing this down. I'm told this will slowly ebb over the next weeks or months.
Even my sense of touch has been affected. For the first few post-op visits to the hospital, I nearly jumped out of my skin with pain when the nurse drew blood. I have had my blood drawn hundreds of times, and it's never hurt like this. The nurse noticed and said, "Your nerves are sensitive because of the chemo. It's completely normal."
Normal, my ass. I'm a bloodhound; my food tastes as if someone turned the volume to 11; and I screech like a little girl when I have my blood drawn. But I’ll say it again: I'll take all these wacky side effects over cancer.
As to my progress, I went to the doctor today and my white blood count is back up to 4.1 (close to the low end of normal), my platelets are good, and my red blood cells are charging back. The doctor is so pleased with my recovery that I don't need to see her for three weeks. She even said that I can start to ease the restrictions of being around people. Which means I’m planning to play poker again, tonight, latex gloves and all.
See Jason Carpenter's ongoing video postings about his life with cancer. Warning: Some expletives.
Stem Cell Transplant Update: Advice On Hair Falling Out
Friday, February 22, 2008
Stem Cells Repair Stroke Damage in Rats
(HealthDay News) -- Human stem cells helped repair stroke-related brain damage in rats, Stanford University researchers report.
The use of neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells led to improvements in the rats' physical abilities, according to the study, which is published in the Feb. 20 issue of Public Library of Science ONE. The stroke damage induced by the researchers left the rats with a weakened forelimb.
This is the first time that scientists have used human embryonic stem cells to generate neural cells that grow well in the lab, repair stroke damage in rats, and don't consistently form tumors after transplantation, according to the researchers.
While the findings show the potential of using stem cell therapies to treat stroke, the researchers noted this is a small study, and more research is needed to determine if this approach could work in humans.
In the laboratory, the researchers grew embryonic stem cells in a combination of growth hormones that prodded the cells to mature into stable neural stem cells. This was an important step, because immature cells tend to grow uncontrollably into tumors.
The neural stem cells were then transplanted into the brains of 10 rats with stroke-related brain damage. After two months, the transplanted neural stem cells had migrated to the damaged area of the brain and incorporated into the surrounding tissue. None of the transplanted cells formed tumors.
The rats that received the transplants were better able to use their forelimbs than rats that had similarly damaged brain regions but weren't given stem cell transplants.
Each year, about 780,000 people in the United States suffer strokes, according to the American Stroke Association.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about stroke.
The use of neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells led to improvements in the rats' physical abilities, according to the study, which is published in the Feb. 20 issue of Public Library of Science ONE. The stroke damage induced by the researchers left the rats with a weakened forelimb.
This is the first time that scientists have used human embryonic stem cells to generate neural cells that grow well in the lab, repair stroke damage in rats, and don't consistently form tumors after transplantation, according to the researchers.
While the findings show the potential of using stem cell therapies to treat stroke, the researchers noted this is a small study, and more research is needed to determine if this approach could work in humans.
In the laboratory, the researchers grew embryonic stem cells in a combination of growth hormones that prodded the cells to mature into stable neural stem cells. This was an important step, because immature cells tend to grow uncontrollably into tumors.
The neural stem cells were then transplanted into the brains of 10 rats with stroke-related brain damage. After two months, the transplanted neural stem cells had migrated to the damaged area of the brain and incorporated into the surrounding tissue. None of the transplanted cells formed tumors.
The rats that received the transplants were better able to use their forelimbs than rats that had similarly damaged brain regions but weren't given stem cell transplants.
Each year, about 780,000 people in the United States suffer strokes, according to the American Stroke Association.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more about stroke.
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Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Scientists Turn Human Skin Cells Into Stem Cells
(HealthDay News) -- Two separate groups of scientists have succeeded in turning human skin cells into cells that are very similar -- but not identical -- to embryonic stem cells.
The two teams, one based in Japan and the other in Wisconsin, used slightly different methods to achieve essentially identical goals, researchers said.
"Embryonic stem cells can divide forever, and there has never been good evidence for such cells in adults, but this new paper shows a method to make cells essentially identical to embryonic stem cells," said James Thomson, senior author of the Wisconsin study and a professor in the departments of medicine and public health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "This will change the ethical debate," he said at a teleconference held Tuesday.
"We are now in a position to be able to generate patient- and disease-specific stem cells, without using human eggs or embryos," added Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, senior author of the first paper, who is affiliated with Kyoto University in Japan and the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in San Francisco. "These cells should be useful in understanding disease mechanisms, searching for effective and safe drugs, and treating patients with cell therapy," he said.
One outside exert agreed the achievement could shift research away from embryonic stem cells.
"Here's verification of another source of multipotent cells that could be useful for treating disease and would get around some of the ethical issues related to embryonic sources," Paul Sanberg, distinguished professor of neurosurgery and director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa, told HealthDay. "It also demonstrates that there are many cells that can be reprogrammed in the body, and this is not going to be the last time we hear of other types of cells and other ways we can make multipotent."
Multipotency or pluripotency refers to the ability of stem cells to grow into a variety of cell types.
However, the journey from laboratory to patient therapy is still a long one, experts said.
"This is a proof of principle, but, in terms of application, there are many steps in between," said Dr. Robert Tsai, assistant professor in the Center for Cancer and Stem Cell Biology at Texas A&M Health Science Center Institute of Biosciences and Technology in Houston.
The achievements followed closely on the heels of another breakthrough: Last week, U.S. scientists announced that they had created dozens of cloned embryos from a 10-year-old male macaque, a primate. This puts science one step closer to human cloning, those authors stated.
Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, meaning they have the ability to develop into virtually any cell type in the body. The hope is that such cells may one day yield treatments or cures for diseases such as diabetes, liver failure, spinal injury, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and heart disease.
However, harvesting embryonic stem cells involves destroying a viable embryo, stirring much political debate. In the United States, embryonic stem cell research has been severely limited since August 2001, when President George W. Bush placed limits on federal funding of the field and restricted the number of embryonic stem cell lines that could be used.
Since that time, researchers have been racing to find other sources of viable stem cells. The approach documented in these two studies would circumvent the need for embryos and, thus, would bypass any controversy. The findings of Yamanaka's team are detailed in the Nov. 30 print issue of Cell, and the Wisconsin group's work was released online Tuesday by Science.
Last year, Yamanaka's team transformed mouse skin cells into pluripotent stem cells.
This year, the researchers tried the same method in humans: using a retrovirus to activate specific transcription genes in the skin cells. Transcription genes regulate gene expression, explained Yamanaka.
Using this method, his group generated about 10 cell clones from 50,000 human facial skin cells.
The new "induced pluripotent stem" (iPS) cells were identical to embryonic stem cells in terms of appearance and behavior in cell culture. They also expressed genetic markers that were the same as those observed in embryonic stem cells.
The iPS cells could also differentiate into other tissue types, the team found.
However, a screen of more than 30,000 genes showed that the iPS cells were not actually indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells. In fact, roughly 1,000 genes were expressed differently.
"Human iPS cells are similar, but not identical, to human embryonic stem cells, Yamanaka said. "DNA microarray analyses identified differentially expressed genes between the two stem cell lines. Further studies are required to determine whether human iPS cells can replace human ES cells."
The team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison also used human skin cells, then added two of the same genes as Yamanaka's team and two different genes in their approach. The outcome was essentially the same.
"The actual combination of the factors they put in are different, the rationale is the same," Tsai explained. "There are some tiny differences between the two different combinations."
The advent of the new cells does not render embryonic stem cells unnecessary, however.
"This does not mean that it is the end of embryonic stem cell research, if only that we need a gold standard to compare to," the University of Wisconsin's Thomson told reporters. "Over time, I believe embryonic stem cells will be used by fewer and fewer labs. These new stem cells would not have been derived if it had not been for the last 10 years of research on embryonic stem cell lines. I do, nonetheless, think that the world has changed."
Can the newly designed cells be used to clone humans? "Any cell in the body can do that," Thomson said. "It's probably true of these cells, if you manipulate them enough, but not if you put them in the body as they are."
It's not clear in either of the two new studies if the cells are completely pluripotent or if one line is more efficient than the other. "Will they have the ability to fully differentiate?" Tsai asked. "There's some evidence that they can move from a differentiated state to an undifferentiated state, but will they be able to reverse back?"
"We have to be sure the cells are safe," Yamanaka said. "One of the difficulties about human embryonic stem cells is their tumorigenicity [propensity to develop tumors]. Because of the usage of retroviruses, iPS cells may be more tumorigenic than human embryonic stem cells. We will have to find a way to avoid retroviruses."
But for the more immediate purposes of drug discovery and toxicology, the use of retroviruses is not a big problem, Yamanaka added.
iPS may present their own ethical concerns, however, if they are used to generate sperm and egg cells. "This might help people with infertility problems, but it will be essential to have proper regulation regarding the generation and usage of human iPS cells to avoid misusages of this technology," Yamanaka said.
More information
Learn more about stem cells at the International Society for Stem Cell Research.
The two teams, one based in Japan and the other in Wisconsin, used slightly different methods to achieve essentially identical goals, researchers said.
"Embryonic stem cells can divide forever, and there has never been good evidence for such cells in adults, but this new paper shows a method to make cells essentially identical to embryonic stem cells," said James Thomson, senior author of the Wisconsin study and a professor in the departments of medicine and public health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "This will change the ethical debate," he said at a teleconference held Tuesday.
"We are now in a position to be able to generate patient- and disease-specific stem cells, without using human eggs or embryos," added Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, senior author of the first paper, who is affiliated with Kyoto University in Japan and the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in San Francisco. "These cells should be useful in understanding disease mechanisms, searching for effective and safe drugs, and treating patients with cell therapy," he said.
One outside exert agreed the achievement could shift research away from embryonic stem cells.
"Here's verification of another source of multipotent cells that could be useful for treating disease and would get around some of the ethical issues related to embryonic sources," Paul Sanberg, distinguished professor of neurosurgery and director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa, told HealthDay. "It also demonstrates that there are many cells that can be reprogrammed in the body, and this is not going to be the last time we hear of other types of cells and other ways we can make multipotent."
Multipotency or pluripotency refers to the ability of stem cells to grow into a variety of cell types.
However, the journey from laboratory to patient therapy is still a long one, experts said.
"This is a proof of principle, but, in terms of application, there are many steps in between," said Dr. Robert Tsai, assistant professor in the Center for Cancer and Stem Cell Biology at Texas A&M Health Science Center Institute of Biosciences and Technology in Houston.
The achievements followed closely on the heels of another breakthrough: Last week, U.S. scientists announced that they had created dozens of cloned embryos from a 10-year-old male macaque, a primate. This puts science one step closer to human cloning, those authors stated.
Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, meaning they have the ability to develop into virtually any cell type in the body. The hope is that such cells may one day yield treatments or cures for diseases such as diabetes, liver failure, spinal injury, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and heart disease.
However, harvesting embryonic stem cells involves destroying a viable embryo, stirring much political debate. In the United States, embryonic stem cell research has been severely limited since August 2001, when President George W. Bush placed limits on federal funding of the field and restricted the number of embryonic stem cell lines that could be used.
Since that time, researchers have been racing to find other sources of viable stem cells. The approach documented in these two studies would circumvent the need for embryos and, thus, would bypass any controversy. The findings of Yamanaka's team are detailed in the Nov. 30 print issue of Cell, and the Wisconsin group's work was released online Tuesday by Science.
Last year, Yamanaka's team transformed mouse skin cells into pluripotent stem cells.
This year, the researchers tried the same method in humans: using a retrovirus to activate specific transcription genes in the skin cells. Transcription genes regulate gene expression, explained Yamanaka.
Using this method, his group generated about 10 cell clones from 50,000 human facial skin cells.
The new "induced pluripotent stem" (iPS) cells were identical to embryonic stem cells in terms of appearance and behavior in cell culture. They also expressed genetic markers that were the same as those observed in embryonic stem cells.
The iPS cells could also differentiate into other tissue types, the team found.
However, a screen of more than 30,000 genes showed that the iPS cells were not actually indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells. In fact, roughly 1,000 genes were expressed differently.
"Human iPS cells are similar, but not identical, to human embryonic stem cells, Yamanaka said. "DNA microarray analyses identified differentially expressed genes between the two stem cell lines. Further studies are required to determine whether human iPS cells can replace human ES cells."
The team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison also used human skin cells, then added two of the same genes as Yamanaka's team and two different genes in their approach. The outcome was essentially the same.
"The actual combination of the factors they put in are different, the rationale is the same," Tsai explained. "There are some tiny differences between the two different combinations."
The advent of the new cells does not render embryonic stem cells unnecessary, however.
"This does not mean that it is the end of embryonic stem cell research, if only that we need a gold standard to compare to," the University of Wisconsin's Thomson told reporters. "Over time, I believe embryonic stem cells will be used by fewer and fewer labs. These new stem cells would not have been derived if it had not been for the last 10 years of research on embryonic stem cell lines. I do, nonetheless, think that the world has changed."
Can the newly designed cells be used to clone humans? "Any cell in the body can do that," Thomson said. "It's probably true of these cells, if you manipulate them enough, but not if you put them in the body as they are."
It's not clear in either of the two new studies if the cells are completely pluripotent or if one line is more efficient than the other. "Will they have the ability to fully differentiate?" Tsai asked. "There's some evidence that they can move from a differentiated state to an undifferentiated state, but will they be able to reverse back?"
"We have to be sure the cells are safe," Yamanaka said. "One of the difficulties about human embryonic stem cells is their tumorigenicity [propensity to develop tumors]. Because of the usage of retroviruses, iPS cells may be more tumorigenic than human embryonic stem cells. We will have to find a way to avoid retroviruses."
But for the more immediate purposes of drug discovery and toxicology, the use of retroviruses is not a big problem, Yamanaka added.
iPS may present their own ethical concerns, however, if they are used to generate sperm and egg cells. "This might help people with infertility problems, but it will be essential to have proper regulation regarding the generation and usage of human iPS cells to avoid misusages of this technology," Yamanaka said.
More information
Learn more about stem cells at the International Society for Stem Cell Research.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Study Probes Difference Between Embryonic, Adult Stem Cells
(HealthDay News) -- Adult stem cells lack a protein called Oct4, which helps maintain embryonic stem cells in an undifferentiated state, U.S. researchers report.
The findings suggest that the ability of stem cells to change into any kind of cell is regulated differently in adult and embryonic stem cells, the researchers said. The study also challenges findings from more than 50 studies that concluded that Oct4 was present in adult stem cells.
Using three independent detection methods to analyze six types of tissue in which Oct4-positive adult stem cells have been reported, the authors of the new study concluded that Oct4 was not present, or was present at only statistically insignificant levels, in these tissues.
The researchers at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Mass., also found that Oct4 is not required to maintain mouse adult stem cells in their undifferentiated state and that adult tissues functioned normally when the Oct4 gene was deleted.
The study was published online Oct. 10 in the journal Cell Stem Cells.
Earlier studies may have misapplied analytical techniques or worked with cell cultures that had spent too much time in an incubator, said author Christopher Lengner, a postdoctoral fellow at the Whitehead Institute.
He and his team are now studying the mechanisms used by adult stem cells to change into any kind of cell.
"Is there a common pathway that governs stemness in adult stem cells, or does each stem cell have its own pathway? We don't know yet," Lengner said in a prepared statement.
More information
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about stem cells.
The findings suggest that the ability of stem cells to change into any kind of cell is regulated differently in adult and embryonic stem cells, the researchers said. The study also challenges findings from more than 50 studies that concluded that Oct4 was present in adult stem cells.
Using three independent detection methods to analyze six types of tissue in which Oct4-positive adult stem cells have been reported, the authors of the new study concluded that Oct4 was not present, or was present at only statistically insignificant levels, in these tissues.
The researchers at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Mass., also found that Oct4 is not required to maintain mouse adult stem cells in their undifferentiated state and that adult tissues functioned normally when the Oct4 gene was deleted.
The study was published online Oct. 10 in the journal Cell Stem Cells.
Earlier studies may have misapplied analytical techniques or worked with cell cultures that had spent too much time in an incubator, said author Christopher Lengner, a postdoctoral fellow at the Whitehead Institute.
He and his team are now studying the mechanisms used by adult stem cells to change into any kind of cell.
"Is there a common pathway that governs stemness in adult stem cells, or does each stem cell have its own pathway? We don't know yet," Lengner said in a prepared statement.
More information
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about stem cells.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Marijuana-Like Compound May Slow Alzheimer's
(HealthDay News) -- A new U.S. study finds that marijuana may help slow the progression of Alzheimer's, while a second report suggests the "club drug" Ecstasy could yield insights into Parkinson's disease.
Both findings were presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, in Atlanta.
In the first presentation, researchers from Ohio State University in Columbus found that marijuana may contain compounds that can slow memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease.
In their study involving rats, a team led by psychology professor Gary Wenk searched for ways to reduce Alzheimer's-linked brain inflammation.
Wenk was already familiar with data that found that long-term marijuana users had lower rates of Alzheimer's disease than the general population. His team sought to find a compound that might reduce disease-linked brain inflammation but avoid the drug's psychoactive effects.
"We are using a component of marijuana that stimulates the same centers in the brain that marijuana does," Wenk said. The synthetic compound, which is very similar in composition to marijuana, is called WIN-55212-2 (WIN).
Experiments conducted on young and old rats revealed that WIN is "a very effective anti-inflammatory, it reduces brain inflammation," Wenk said.
What makes this discovery special is that this compound can cross the blood-brain barrier, Wenk explained. The results of a special rat "maze test" suggested that WIN "also reversed the memory impairment in the older rats," he said.
Brain inflammation is characteristic of many diseases other than Alzheimer's, including multiple sclerosis, ALS, AIDS, Huntington's and Parkinson's, Wenk noted. "We are beginning to notice that brain inflammation is always in the background as people get older," he said. "Inflammation doesn't cause the disease, it contributes to the pathology," he said.
WIN is not appropriate for use in humans because it still contains substances that may trigger a "high." However, Wenk hopes that some form of this compound might be used to benefit people with neurological diseases.
"We have the added advantage that millions of doses [of marijuana] have been taken by millions of people over the past centuries," he said. "We already know a lot about its actions in the body and its toxicity, or lack of toxicity. The only problem we have is that it's illegal."
Wenk is not suggesting that Alzheimer's patients start using marijuana. "Patients would have to be so careful not to get too much," he said. "That would only worsen the symptoms of their dementia."
The challenge is to find a dose that has an anti-inflammatory effect but does not make patients high, Wenk said. "It's hopeful," he said, "but it's not a therapy until we find a way to make it work in humans."
One expert believes it may be possible to derive therapeutic benefits from marijuana without inducing other effects that could be harmful to Alzheimer's patients.
"These are still early days for thinking about drugs derived from cannabis," said Dr. Samuel Gandy, director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
"Still, we know the structure of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) [the active ingredient in cannabis] in detail, and it is not inconceivable that helpful THC-based drugs could be created chemically that benefit brain function but lack the 'high' that currently stigmatizes the compound," Gandy added.
In the second report, researchers from the University of Cincinnati found that, in rats, MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) -- more commonly known as the illegal drug Ecstasy -- increases the survival of dopamine-releasing cells in the brain during fetal development.
"The club drug Ecstasy can cause dopamine neurons to grow and prevent them from dying off," explained lead researcher Jack Lipton, a professor of psychiatry.
Dopamine cells are critical to the regulation of voluntary movement. This discovery might lead to better therapies for neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, the researchers said.
Ecstasy, as is, is not beneficial for Parkinson's patients, Lipton cautioned. But a part of MDMA may be.
The trick now is to find the components of MDMA that have this effect on dopamine cells and develop ways to use it to help Parkinson's patients, Lipton said. It could also be used as an adjunct to stem cell transplantation, something that's now being studied in Parkinson's patients.
"It could help transplants take better and have more cells survive," Lipton said.
More information
There's more on Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association.
Both findings were presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, in Atlanta.
In the first presentation, researchers from Ohio State University in Columbus found that marijuana may contain compounds that can slow memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease.
In their study involving rats, a team led by psychology professor Gary Wenk searched for ways to reduce Alzheimer's-linked brain inflammation.
Wenk was already familiar with data that found that long-term marijuana users had lower rates of Alzheimer's disease than the general population. His team sought to find a compound that might reduce disease-linked brain inflammation but avoid the drug's psychoactive effects.
"We are using a component of marijuana that stimulates the same centers in the brain that marijuana does," Wenk said. The synthetic compound, which is very similar in composition to marijuana, is called WIN-55212-2 (WIN).
Experiments conducted on young and old rats revealed that WIN is "a very effective anti-inflammatory, it reduces brain inflammation," Wenk said.
What makes this discovery special is that this compound can cross the blood-brain barrier, Wenk explained. The results of a special rat "maze test" suggested that WIN "also reversed the memory impairment in the older rats," he said.
Brain inflammation is characteristic of many diseases other than Alzheimer's, including multiple sclerosis, ALS, AIDS, Huntington's and Parkinson's, Wenk noted. "We are beginning to notice that brain inflammation is always in the background as people get older," he said. "Inflammation doesn't cause the disease, it contributes to the pathology," he said.
WIN is not appropriate for use in humans because it still contains substances that may trigger a "high." However, Wenk hopes that some form of this compound might be used to benefit people with neurological diseases.
"We have the added advantage that millions of doses [of marijuana] have been taken by millions of people over the past centuries," he said. "We already know a lot about its actions in the body and its toxicity, or lack of toxicity. The only problem we have is that it's illegal."
Wenk is not suggesting that Alzheimer's patients start using marijuana. "Patients would have to be so careful not to get too much," he said. "That would only worsen the symptoms of their dementia."
The challenge is to find a dose that has an anti-inflammatory effect but does not make patients high, Wenk said. "It's hopeful," he said, "but it's not a therapy until we find a way to make it work in humans."
One expert believes it may be possible to derive therapeutic benefits from marijuana without inducing other effects that could be harmful to Alzheimer's patients.
"These are still early days for thinking about drugs derived from cannabis," said Dr. Samuel Gandy, director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
"Still, we know the structure of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) [the active ingredient in cannabis] in detail, and it is not inconceivable that helpful THC-based drugs could be created chemically that benefit brain function but lack the 'high' that currently stigmatizes the compound," Gandy added.
In the second report, researchers from the University of Cincinnati found that, in rats, MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) -- more commonly known as the illegal drug Ecstasy -- increases the survival of dopamine-releasing cells in the brain during fetal development.
"The club drug Ecstasy can cause dopamine neurons to grow and prevent them from dying off," explained lead researcher Jack Lipton, a professor of psychiatry.
Dopamine cells are critical to the regulation of voluntary movement. This discovery might lead to better therapies for neurological diseases such as Parkinson's, the researchers said.
Ecstasy, as is, is not beneficial for Parkinson's patients, Lipton cautioned. But a part of MDMA may be.
The trick now is to find the components of MDMA that have this effect on dopamine cells and develop ways to use it to help Parkinson's patients, Lipton said. It could also be used as an adjunct to stem cell transplantation, something that's now being studied in Parkinson's patients.
"It could help transplants take better and have more cells survive," Lipton said.
More information
There's more on Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
A Daisy Extract Can Tame Your Migraines
A few months ago, I told you about feverfew, the daisy-like plant that may be a natural source for a chemical that can kill human leukemia stem cells. A new study has confirmed the efficacy of another of feverfew's many uses: Treating migraines.
Although similar research using other formulations of feverfew extract hasn't been so successful, scientists treated 170 migraine patients with MIG-99, a stable feverfew extract, or a placebo three times daily.
Prior to the start of the study, patients suffered five attacks every four weeks. Those who were treated with MIG-99 experienced two fewer migraines per month and, based on more analysis of responder rates, researchers found the extract to be in excess of three times more effective than a placebo.
Another aspect of migraines: They can be triggered by a food-based reaction to wheat, dairy products, sugar, artificial preservatives and other chemicals. Your best defense may be to eliminate those foods, and retool your diet based on your body's unique metabolic type.
You may also want to consider learning the Emotional Freedom Technique, the non-invasive energy psychology I use in my practice daily to tame your migraines.
Cephalalgia, Vol. 25, No. 11, November 2005: 1031
Yahoo News November 29, 2005
more discussion: Forum
· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
Although similar research using other formulations of feverfew extract hasn't been so successful, scientists treated 170 migraine patients with MIG-99, a stable feverfew extract, or a placebo three times daily.
Prior to the start of the study, patients suffered five attacks every four weeks. Those who were treated with MIG-99 experienced two fewer migraines per month and, based on more analysis of responder rates, researchers found the extract to be in excess of three times more effective than a placebo.
Another aspect of migraines: They can be triggered by a food-based reaction to wheat, dairy products, sugar, artificial preservatives and other chemicals. Your best defense may be to eliminate those foods, and retool your diet based on your body's unique metabolic type.
You may also want to consider learning the Emotional Freedom Technique, the non-invasive energy psychology I use in my practice daily to tame your migraines.
Cephalalgia, Vol. 25, No. 11, November 2005: 1031
Yahoo News November 29, 2005
more discussion: Forum
· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum
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