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From: NIH news releases and news items [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
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Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 2:22 PM
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Subject: ENDOMETRIAL STEM CELLS RESTORE BRAIN DOPAMINE LEVELS
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development (NICHD)<http://www.nichd.nih.gov/>
For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 6, 2010
CONTACT: Robert Bock or Marianne Glass Miller,
301-496-5133, <e-mail:[log in to unmask]
ENDOMETRIAL STEM CELLS RESTORE BRAIN DOPAMINE LEVELS
Mouse Study May Lead to New Therapies for Parkinson's Disease
Endometrial stem cells injected into the brains of mice with a
laboratory-induced form of Parkinson's disease appeared to take over the
functioning of brain cells eradicated by the disease.
The finding raises the possibility that women with Parkinson's disease could
serve as their own stem cell donors. Similarly, because endometrial stem
cells are readily available and easy to collect, banks of endometrial stem
cells could be stored for men and women with Parkinson's disease.
"These early results are encouraging," said Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D., acting
director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development (NICHD), the NIH Institute that funded the study.
"Endometrial stem cells are widely available, easy to access and appear to
take on the characteristics of nervous system tissue readily."
Parkinson's disease results from a loss of brain cells that produce the
chemical messenger dopamine, which aids the transmission of brain signals
that coordinate movement.
(http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/parkinsons_disease/parkinsons_disease.ht
m).
This is the first time that researchers have successfully transplanted stem
cells derived from the endometrium, or the lining of the uterus, into
another kind of tissue (the brain) and shown that these cells can develop
into cells with the properties of that tissue.
The findings appear online in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular
Medicine.
The study's authors were Erin F. Wolff, Xiao-Bing Gao, Katherine V. Yao,
Zane B. Andrews, Hongling Du, John D. Elsworth and Hugh S. Taylor, all of
Yale University School of Medicine.
Stem cells retain the capacity to develop into a range of cell types with
specific functions. (http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/) They have been
derived from umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, embryonic tissue, and from
other tissues with an inherent capacity to develop into specialized cells.
Because of their ability to divide into new cells and to develop into a
variety of cell types, stem cells are considered promising for the treatment
of many diseases in which the body's own cells are damaged or depleted.
In the current study, the researchers generated stem cells using endometrial
tissue obtained from nine women who did not have Parkinson's disease and
verified that, in laboratory cultures, the unspecialized endometrial stem
cells could be transformed into dopamine-producing nerve cells like those in
the brain.
The researchers also demonstrated that, when injected directly into the
brains of mice with a Parkinson's-like condition, endometrial stem cells
would develop into dopamine-producing cells.
Unspecialized stem cells from the endometrial tissue were injected into
mouse striatum, a structure deep in the brain that plays a vital role in
coordinating balance and movement. When the researchers examined the
animals' striata five weeks later, they found that the stem cells had
populated the striatum and an adjacent brain region, the substantia nigra.
The substantia nigra produces abnormally low levels of dopamine in human
Parkinson's disease and the mouse version of the disorder. The researchers
confirmed that the stem cells that had migrated to the substantia nigra
became dopamine-producing nerve cells and that the animals' dopamine levels
were partially restored.
The study did not examine the longer-term effects of the stem cell
transplants or evaluate any changes in the ability of the mice to move. The
researchers noted that additional research would need to be conducted to
evaluate the safety and efficacy of the technique before it could be
approved for human use.
According to the researchers, stem cells derived from endometrial tissue
appear to be less likely to be rejected than are stem cells from other
sources. As expected, the stem cells generated dopamine producing cells
when transplanted into the brains of mice with compromised immune systems.
However, the transplants also successfully gave rise to dopamine producing
cells in the brains of mice with normal immune systems.
According to Dr. Taylor, because women could provide their own donor tissue,
there would be no concern that their bodies would reject the implants.
Moreover, because endometrial tissue is widely available, banks of stem
cells could be established. The stem cells could be matched by tissue type
to male recipients with Parkinson's to minimize the chances of rejection.
In addition, Dr. Taylor added that endometrial stem cells might prove to be
easier to obtain and easier to use than many other types of stem cells. With
each menstrual cycle, women generate new endometrial tissue every month, so
the stem cells are readily available. Even after menopause, women taking
estrogen supplements are capable of generating new endometrial tissue.
Because doctors can gather samples of the endometrial lining in a simple
office procedure, it is also easier to collect than other types of adult
stem cells, such as those from bone marrow, which must be collected
surgically.
"Endometrial tissue is probably the most readily available, safest, most
easily attainable source of stem cells that is currently available. We hope
the cells we derived are the first of many types that will be used to treat
a variety of diseases," said senior author Hugh S. Taylor, M.D., of Yale
University. "I think this is just the tip of the iceberg for what we will be
able to do with these cells."
The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth;
maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population
issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the
Institute's Web site at <http://www.nichd.nih.gov/>.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency
for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical
research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs,
visit <www.nih.gov>.
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<http://www.nih.gov/news/health/may2010/nichd-06.htm>.
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