Parkinson’s Disease Can Soon be Cured

A particular antibiotic mutated by researchers at the University of Florida has represented the first step in the curing of Parkinson’s disease.  An article that was published in the September issue of Molecular Therapy has shown that a particular antibiotic that was mainly used to try and cure Parkinson’s disease can also function as a cure for gene therapy. The study which was conducted in rats now shows how therapeutic genes which when delivered to the human brain can help in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

adeno associated virus (source Wikipedia)

Says Ronald Mandel, a professor of neuroscience at the Powell Gene Therapy Center and University of Florida‘s McKnight Brain Institute, “Most prior experiments that made use of any growth factors that grew naturally in the body to divide and grow cells as a means of rejuvenating dying brain cells failed due to the fact that they were injected too late. However, newer findings suggest that it is possible for the brain to produce a neurotransmitter known as dopamine mainly thanks to gene therapy.” Patients in Parkinson’s disease often face a shortfall in the production of dopamine, but now due to the latest findings of the research, there would be an increased likelihood of success. Dopamine is very essential as it helps in the communication and coordination between cells.

“We have spent over 10 years trying to design a gene delivery vector that can help in safely transferring the genes required for Parkinson’s. We now believe that it is possible to intervene at the earliest stages of the disease as some of our earlier interventions failed to save dopamine-producing connections in patients mainly due to the fact that they were given to suffering patients only during the latter stages of the disease and as such there were very few dopamine-producing connections left,” says Mandel.

The Mandel led team of scientists used an adeno-associated virus that was capable of inducing dopamine cells into animal brain cells which could then result in the production of GDNF. This GDNF is vital as it helps the dopamine-producing neurons survive during the process of development of the brain of adults.

The virus was engineered by scientists with two genes so as to be able to act in connotation with each other to produce protein. By using an antibiotic called dietary doxycycline, the progression of the genes could be slowed down. The amount of the antibiotic determines the regulation of production of the protein. In other words, it is even possible to reduce this protein which in turn can give medical investigators the option of regulating gene therapy after delivery of the treatment.

Making Use of Stem Cells as a Means of Treating Male Infertility

A recently conducted survey has revealed that it might be possible to treat male infertility through the use of bone marrow stem cells. The research conducted, which was published in an issue of ‘The American Journal of Pathology’, showed that when stem cells of bone marrow were transplanted into the testis of a male, there was the potential for overcoming testicular failure.

Under normal circumstances, when a couple tries to conceive a child, but is unable to do so, it is more often than not the male who is responsible. Due to differentiation and proliferation of the germ cells or even due to any type of dysfunction from supporting cells, a male might experience infertility. The research study which was carried out under the direction of Dr. Ronald S. Swerdloff, was undertaken with the intention of replacing nonfunctioning germ or other cells with stem cells.

At the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, mice which expressed the green fluorescent protein (GFP) were used for the collection of bone marrow stem cells. Using chemically modified mice so as to induce infertility, these green cells were then injected into the testes of the mice and the results were noted. For the entire 12 week period, the GFP cells that were injected into the mice managed to survive and took up residency in the testes. These cells managed to mirror the characteristics of germ cells, an indication of the separation of such cells. The research also found that many of the differentiated cells were located very close to the native cells perhaps due to the influence of the local cellular environment.

GFP 3D structure and its extraction source - jellyfish Aequrea Victoria (source Wikipedia)

By verifying certain proteins on the surface of the donor cells, Dr Ronald S. Swerdloff and his team found that the germ and supporting cells expressed types of proteins that were usually found only in differentiated cells. Says Dr. Swerdloff, “Our findings indicate that it is possible for bone marrow stem cells to multiply and act like the germ or supporting cells that are responsible for sperm production in the testes. However, additional factors might be involved as can be seen from the fact that the germ cells did not completely separate into sperm.”

There is the need for further studies that can list the various hormones that are required for the production of sperm in the transplanted model. Further testing can also reveal which are the specific stem cells that can differentiate and colonize in the testes. These studies could have a great implication in being able to treat testosterone deficiency or male inefficiency.