The Promise of Stem Cells
What was once considered science fiction , is now an established area of disease research — making brain cells in a laboratory . Today , researchers can engineer a blood or skin cell into a stem cell . Stem cells can then become other kinds of cells , such as ones that make dopamine ( and are lost in PD ). MJFF was an early supporter of technology to engineer dopamine neurons from stem cells .
Making Dopamine Cells From Stem Cells
STEM CELLS
IMPLANTATION THERAPY
BLOOD CELLS
DOPAMINE CELLS
SKIN CELLS
LABORATORY RESOURCE FOR STUDIES INTO DISEASE AND THERAPIES
Now we are supporting a trial to test implanting these dopamine cells in people with PD . This replacement could help ease many of the symptoms seen in Parkinson ’ s disease . Researchers at Arizona State University are studying the safety and impact of this tactic . BlueRock Therapeutics in Cambridge , Massachusetts is testing a similar therapy and expects results next year .
With another approach , scientists may be able to replace dopamine with other cells already in the brain . A study showed astrocytes ( a type of brain cell ) can convert into dopamine neurons . MJFF-funded researchers at the University of California , San Diego are testing this treatment in larger models as a step toward testing in humans . Our Foundation is the implementation partner of the Aligning Science Across Parkinson ’ s ( ASAP ) initiative , which is supporting work to further understand this process and its effects .
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