Navigation Links
Swamping bad cells with good in ALS animal models helps sustain breathing
Date:10/19/2008

tor neurons that spark muscle movement, causing death. The event, called excitotoxicity, also occurs in other neurological diseases.

So on a more basic level, the study adds clout to the principle - in live animals - that excitotoxicity is a major bad guy in ALS and that finding more effective ways to avoid or lessen it could help protect the nervous system.

In their research, the team transplanted some 900,000 glial restricted precursors overall to specific sites in the cervical spinal cord of each model rat in early stages of disease. The GRPs the scientists used began life as what's called astrocyte progenitor cells from healthy rat spinal cord tissue. Following transplant, they transformed into mature, healthy astrocytes, found living alongside sick motor neurons.

Astrocytes are the most common cells in the central nervous system. Work at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere has shown their crucial role in keeping the CNS in healthy balance. Not only are the cells studded with transporter molecules that mop up glutamate; they also maintain proper ion levels and nutrient support of nerve cells.

The study showed that at least a third of the added GRPs "took root" after their transplantation. With time, almost 90 percent of the GRPs had differentiated into astrocytes. Unlike the model rats' own astrocytes, the new ones continued to appear healthy. None of the GRPs damaged the spinal cord or formed tumors - a worry with some stem cell therapies.

Transplanting alternate GRPs - those that the team engineered to lack glutamate transporters - offered none of the protective properties.

"Our findings demonstrate that astrocyte replacement, by transplantation, is both possible and useful," Maragakis explains. "This targeted cell delivery to the cervical spinal cord is a promising strategy to slow that loss of motor neurons in ALS. We hope at some point that these principles will translate to the clinic."

Earlier
'/>"/>

Contact: Maryalice Yakutchik
myakutc1@jhmi.edu
443-287-2251
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Source:Eurekalert

1

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Forsyth scientists trigger cancer-like response from embryonic stem cells
2. Fat-regenerating stem cells found in mice
3. A link between mitochondria and tumor formation in stem cells
4. Stabilizing force for good communication between neurons and muscle cells found
5. Researchers design artificial cells that could power medical implants
6. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientists trace a novel way cells are disrupted in cancer
7. Form of Crohns disease traced to disabled gut cells
8. Scientists identify a molecule that coordinates the movement of cells
9. Models of eel cells suggest electrifying possibilities
10. Breast cancer cells recycle to escape death by hormonal therapy
11. The role of stem cells in renewing the cornea
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:6/19/2013)... new variety of canary seeds bred specifically for human ... ideal for people with celiac disease (CD), scientists have ... of Agricultural and Food Chemistry . , Joyce ... 3 million people in the United States alone have ... wheat, barley, rye and other grains that contain gluten-related ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... to contribute to a very large and potentially record-setting ... University of Michigan ecologist and colleagues who released their ... Bay. , The Gulf forecast, one of two announced ... an oxygen-depleted, or hypoxic, region of between 7,286 and ... 10 largest on record. , The low end of ...
(Date:6/18/2013)... Faculty of Medicine have discovered a mechanism that is ... a component of blood typically associated with clotting, were ... detection, seal it off from the rest of the ... Immunology this week, provide the science community with ... has known that platelets do participate in immunity, but ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' 2U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' 3U-M researcher and colleagues predict possible record-setting Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone' 4Immunity mechanism discovered 2
... 1, 2007A new Joslin-led study has shown that leptin, ... energy metabolism, plays a major role in islet cell ... new avenues for studying leptin and its role in ... for diabetes. This study appears in the October ...
... Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis are finding ... the heart during embryonic development. Larry A.Taber, ... Engineering, and Phillip Bayly, Ph.D., Hughes Professor of Mechanical ... in the folding of the brains surface, or cortex, ...
... , The New York Academy of Sciences, 7 World ... NY 10007 The Malaria Research Institute at the ... New York Academy of Sciences present Progress Against Malaria: ... the latest research developments in the fight to combat ...
Cached Biology News:Joslin researchers uncover potential role of leptin in diabetes 2Engineers study brain folding in higher mammals 2Engineers study brain folding in higher mammals 3Progress Against Malaria: Developments on the Horizon 2
(Date:6/19/2013)... , June 19, 2013 ... ) has announced the addition of the ... Opportunities, 2018" report to their offering. ... Lack of data protection and old ... PIN codes have driven the growth of ...
(Date:6/19/2013)...   NineSigma , Inc., of Cleveland ... launch, NineSights.com is now the innovation engine ... worldwide community of innovators. From technology developers, ... NineSights stands out for its large community of innovators ... disciplines, all vetted by NineSigma. The community is free ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... 2013 BioConvergence team members Curtis ... at 2013’s BioLogistics Summit in San Francisco earlier ... Cold Chain IQ and IQPC, addressed the increasingly ... in part, attributed to current trends of globalization, ... these trends is an increase in movement, which ...
(Date:6/19/2013)... CA (PRWEB) June 19, 2013 Adding ... Pipette.com is now stocked with Simport’s Dropette® and ... aimed at the customer doing basic biology, chemistry and ... and serology). , For over 35 years, Simport has ... plastic labware - products like the Simport Dropette®. Simport’s ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Global Biometric Systems Market Forecast Report - Opportunities to 2018 2Global Biometric Systems Market Forecast Report - Opportunities to 2018 3NineSigma Evolves Global Open Innovation through Social Media Platform, NineSights 2NineSigma Evolves Global Open Innovation through Social Media Platform, NineSights 3BioConvergence® Presents at BioLogistics Summit on Risk Matrix for Biosamples during Shipment 2Leading Pipette Distributor Pipette.com Now Stocks Transfer Pipettes: Simport’s Dropette and Heathrow Scientific Disposable Plastic Transfer Pipettes 2
... p.m. (Pacific Time); ... http://www.adventrx.com , SAN DIEGO, March 13 ADVENTRX ... on in-licensing,developing and commercializing proprietary product candidates primarily for,the ... for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, ...
... Brussels: THR), a biotechnology company focused on vascular,diseases, ... results for,the twelve month period ending 31 December ... to invest in its development,pipeline and has continued ... Highlights, - Successful placing of a total ...
... CITY, Mo., March 13 Proteon,Therapeutics, Inc. ( ... been issued by the European Patent Office. The ... of proteins known as elastases for,dilating arteries and ... related,United States patents in June and December of ...
Cached Biology Technology:ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2007 Financial Results 2ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2007 Financial Results 3ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2007 Financial Results 4ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2007 Financial Results 5ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2007 Financial Results 6ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2007 Financial Results 7ThromboGenics Announces 2007 Full Year Results 2ThromboGenics Announces 2007 Full Year Results 3ThromboGenics Announces 2007 Full Year Results 4Proteon Therapeutics Receives European Patent Covering New Method of Dilating Arteries and Veins 2
PC based system for superior chemifluorescent, chemiluminescent, fluorescent and colorimetric, microarray and microscope imaging and analysis....
Request Info...
... Well Plate Sterile with ... range of 384-well plates ... screening and research. These ... and are suitable for ...
HLA-DRbeta (DA2)...
Biology Products: