Breakthrough Replicates Human Brain Cells for Use in Alzheimer’s Research
Source: New York Times
For the first time, and to the astonishment of many of their colleagues, researchers created what they call Alzheimers in a Dish a petri dish with human brain cells that develop the telltale structures of Alzheimers disease. In doing so, they resolved a longstanding problem of how to study Alzheimers and search for drugs to treat it; the best they had until now were mice that developed an imperfect form of the disease.
The key to their success, said the lead researcher, Rudolph E. Tanzi of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, was a suggestion by his colleague Doo Yeon Kim to grow human brain cells in a gel, where they formed networks as in an actual brain. They gave the neurons genes for Alzheimers disease. Within weeks they saw the hard Brillo-like clumps known as plaques and then the twisted spaghetti-like coils known as tangles the defining features of Alzheimers disease.
The work, which also offers strong support for an old idea about how the disease progresses, was published in Nature on Sunday. Leading researchers said it should have a big effect.
It is a giant step forward for the field, said Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, an Alzheimers researcher at Duke University. It could dramatically accelerate testing of new drug candidates.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/13/science/researchers-replicate-alzheimers-brain-cells-in-a-petri-dish.html?_r=0
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)sheshe2
(83,739 posts)I hope that the testing and research pay off. It is painful to see your parent fade away from you from this disease. I have been watching it first hand for several years.
Javaman
(62,517 posts)My mom had it.
It's painful to witness.
it's like watching a photo fade away.
sheshe2
(83,739 posts)Faux pas
(14,667 posts)I watched my mom fade away for 12 years before it killed her. My best dealing and healing vibes to you.
sheshe2
(83,739 posts)For your mom And for you
Faux pas
(14,667 posts)sheshe2. We're all in this together.
Plucketeer
(12,882 posts)Of course, those that dismiss "science" won't need whatever voodoo comes of this. God'll cure 'em!
RoverSuswade
(641 posts)We need $$$$ for more bombs ya know.
joanbarnes
(1,722 posts)DRoseDARs
(6,810 posts)Something something fetus something playing God something something argle-bargle something Benghazi.
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)The whole family suffers along with the patient.
GeorgeGist
(25,319 posts)Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)Marie Marie
(9,999 posts)I just found some funky crap in my refrigerator - all covered in some hairy mold that I swear could double for Repub brain cells.
packman
(16,296 posts)and could hear the phrase,"Benghazi" it was Republican brain cells.
Rozlee
(2,529 posts)You can do like they did on that Star Trek movie, when they combined a human with the mind of a Voyager satellite. Just hook up their brain cells to the main Fox News satellites and let 'em rip. You'll create the most ignorant species of borgs in the entire cosmos.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)The first step is catch a Unicorn...
Omaha Steve
(99,581 posts)Donation made by the sponsor.
http://therainforestsite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/alz/home?link=ctg_alz_home_from_ths_home_sitenav
And K&R!
sheshe2
(83,739 posts)I bookmarked the thread so that I can click it everyday. My dad suffers from Alzheimer as does the family that watches him fade.
NoodleyAppendage
(4,619 posts)While certainly interesting, the brain is WAY more complex with all sorts of supporting cells that have their own functions in response to beta amyloid aggregation.
Also, this finding does NOT explain the well known phenomenon of amyloid positive brains that have little to no tangle formation.
Again, a great start, but I'm getting really sick of facile proclamations by the likes of Doraiswamy, who had NOTHING to do with the research, pontificating about the work being the next big step to a cure.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)The point of these in vitro analogs is to try out new ideas and new drugs. Because growing a new one is really easy, instead of getting another real brain.
Will they all work? Of course not. But it lets them run down some theories much faster, and with less risk to people.
NoodleyAppendage
(4,619 posts)At least the mouse models have the full compliment of supporting cell types. What does it mean when they develop something to target the neuronal death in isolation, particularly when it is likely that microglia may either work against the tested treatment. If they are going to Petri dish models, then they need to better approximate all actual brain substrates/cell types.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)They start in vitro. Then they move to analogs like rats, pigs and monkeys. Then they move to humans.
That in vitro model does not come remotely close to "all variables". But it tells you what won't even work in the simplest situation. And you can try a whole bunch of different stuff in a very short timeframe.
Then you move on to analogs. Adds a lot more variables. And a lot of stuff that worked in vitro doesn't work. But since it takes weeks to months in order to do a single test, you save a lot of time throwing out what didn't work in vitro. The ones that don't work go back to the drawing board with the new information. Things that worked go on to human trials.
In human trials, most new treatments fail. Those go back to the drawing board. A small number work better than the old treatment or placebo, and we end up with "an amazing new drug".
You appear to be coming at this as if in vitro success will immediately go to human trials. That is not the case. But in vitro literally lets you say "well, let's see if this does anything" with an enormous number of possible treatments.
tiptonic
(765 posts)This is fantastic. Lets hope we can keep it out of the hands, of the religious anti-stem cell crowd.
I had a few family members die from it.
KinMd
(966 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)And someone will do a commemorative plate about it.
madokie
(51,076 posts)Thanks for the post
tweeternik
(255 posts)Obviously need a lot more funding ..... sooner the better!