ALZHEIMER'S AND STEM CELLS

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Scientists in Australia have discovered a way to turn skin stem cells into the sophisticated brain neurons used in memory retrieval that are normally killed in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. With this development, scientists can examine numerous amounts of these cells at once in tissue culture dishes to figure out which drug treatments are effective in keeping them alive. They can also work on ways to transplant newly developed nerve cells into the brain for patients whose nerve cells have already been killed off.
The development of neurons from skin cells was six years in the making for Dr. Jack Kessler of Chicago’s Northwestern University and his study co-author Christopher Bissonnette. Once they discovered it, they were able to exhibit that the newly formed neurons worked as well as the original cells by transplanting them into mice.
Unfortunately, the research is being suppressed because stem cell research in Australia is highly regulated by the government. In fact, since 2002 only 12 stem cell-related research projects have been approved because scientists must first obtain a license from the government to continue advanced research and it could take up to two years before scientists have a license in their hands allowing them to continue with their work.
“Because the process is so long and tedious we are thinking long and hard whether projects, or variations of existing projects, are worth it”, said Dr. Julia Schaft of Sydney IVF. If the researchers do decide to pursue a license, the significance of Alzheimer’s in our society could change forever.