New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that these lab-grown cells express a broad array of natural and potent protective agents providing preservation and protection against injury, toxins and diseases
A group of really brainy scientists have moved closer to growing “therapeutic” brain cells in the laboratory that can be re-integrated back into patients’ brains to treat a wide range of neurological conditions. According to new research published online in The FASEB Journal, brain cells from a small biopsy can be used to grow large numbers of new personalized cells that are not only “healthy,” but also possess powerful attributes to preserve and protect the brain from future injury, toxins and diseases.
“I think these findings have huge implications for brain injury patients”
By discovering a mechanism by which mitochondria – tiny structures inside cells often described as “power plants” – signal that they are damaged and need to be eliminated, the Pitt team has opened the door to potential research into cures for disorders such as Parkinson’s disease that are believed to be caused by dysfunctional mitochondria in neurons.
With proteins, shape is everything.
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have made a discovery that, if replicated in humans, suggests a shortage of zinc may contribute to diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, which have been linked to defective proteins clumping together in the brain.
Findings in bacteria, yeast, mice show how flawed transport gene contributes to the condition
Scientists say mutations in one such autism-linked gene, dubbed NHE9, which is involved in transporting substances in and out of structures within the cell, causes communication problems among brain cells that likely contribute to autism.
RNA editing has emerged as a way to diversify not just the proteome but the transcriptome overall
A research team centered at Brown University has compiled the largest and most stringently validated list of RNA editing sites in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, a stalwart of biological research.