Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Scientists create Parkinson's disease in lab

Darpan News Desk IANS, 07 Nov, 2014 11:59 AM
  • Scientists create Parkinson's disease in lab
To unravel what actually goes wrong in people with Parkinson's disease and find out potential new therapy, scientists have successfully created a human stem cell disease model of Parkinson's disease in a dish.
 
The stem cell model allowed scientists to observe key features of the disease in the laboratory, specifically differences in the patients' neurons' ability to produce dopamine, the molecule that is deficient in Parkinson's disease.
 
The researchers studied a pair of identical twins, one affected and one unaffected with Parkinson's disease, another unrelated Parkinson's patient, and four healthy control participants.
 
"The subject of Parkinson's disease discordant twins gave us an incredible opportunity to utilise stem cell models of disease in a dish to unlock some of the biological mechanisms of disease," said Scott Noggle from New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute.
 
Upon analysing the cell models, the scientists found that the dopamine-producing neurons from both twins had reduced GBA enzymatic activity, elevated I-synuclein protein levels, and a reduced capacity to synthesise and release dopamine.
 
In comparison to his unaffected brother, the neurons generated from the affected twin produced less dopamine, had higher levels of an enzyme called monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B), and poor ability to connect with each other.
 
Treating the neurons with molecules that lowered the activity of MAO-B together with overexpressed GBA normalised I -- synuclein and dopamine levels in the cell models.
 
This suggests that a combination therapy for the affected twin may be possible by simultaneously targeting these two enzymes.
 
The findings were published in the journal Cell Reports.

MORE Health ARTICLES

Speech analyser could reveal mental health

Speech analyser could reveal mental health
A programme that analyses speech and uses it to gain information about one's mental health is in the works....

Speech analyser could reveal mental health

Recreational drug use linked to birth defects

Recreational drug use linked to birth defects
Babies born to mothers who used recreational drugs during pregnancy are more likely to have birth defects in the brain, said a study....

Recreational drug use linked to birth defects

Insomnia triples risk of motor accident deaths

Insomnia triples risk of motor accident deaths
Developing a healthy sleeping habit could be a life saviour as researchers have found that insomnia significantly increases risk of death caused by...

Insomnia triples risk of motor accident deaths

Public awareness needed to check breast cancer: Experts

Public awareness needed to check breast cancer: Experts
With around 1.5 lakh breast cancer cases being diagnosed every year in India, health experts Saturday called for more public awareness and community...

Public awareness needed to check breast cancer: Experts

Drugs to abet cancer cells suicide found

Drugs to abet cancer cells suicide found
The combination of two drugs, called TRAIL and a CDK9 inhibitor, forced the cancer cells to self-destruct, the findings showed....

Drugs to abet cancer cells suicide found

Young heart can heal itself faster

Young heart can heal itself faster
Washington- The heart holds its own pool of immune cells capable of helping it to heal after injury, finds research, adding that the harmful...

Young heart can heal itself faster