Major stem cell breakthrough on brain disease
Published: March 12, 2005
A safe treatment for Parkinson’s disease sufferers could be available in as little as three years following new research into stem cell therapy.
Scientists at the world-renowned Roslin Institute, near Edinburgh, have managed for the first time to culture stem cells - which can turn into any kind of human cell from heart to skin - without using animal-derived products, in a development described as “very important” by the Parkinson’s Disease Society.
Other researchers have demonstrated that stem cells from pigs can help reverse symptoms of Parkinson’s disease when implanted in a sufferer’s brain.
However, this carries the risk that the patient will develop a deadly new cross-species disease with potentially devastating consequences - vCJD is a recent example of a fatal new condition originating in animals.
Previously, human stem cells - controversial, as they are usually derived from embryos, angering the pro-life lobby - have been grown in a culture of animal tissue, also risking cross-species contamination.
But Roslin scientists, led by Dr Paul De Sousa, have managed to culture stem cells from donated embryos - which, in this case, are the “surplus” from fertility treatment - in a medium derived from human tissue, the first time this has been done in the world.
They are now looking to create a way of mass producing stems cells, as millions are required to repair damage to the brain.
Dr De Sousa said he believed that, in three to five years, following further research in animals, it should be possible to start implanting human stem cells in Parkinson’s patients.
He said: “We are still a ways away. It’s one thing to produce the cells. Now myself and other groups need to be efficiently producing the types of cells in the culture dish that are useful for treatment.
“There are grant applications to get that work funded to see that ambition realised and it is somewhere down the line still - we’ve got to walk before we can run.
“We’re talking another three to five years before we could be at the point where we have enough pre-clinical animal model data to have some confidence in the cells we can put into people.”
Producing stem cells without using any animal-derived tissue is a crucial step because it prevents the possibility of cross-species disease.
“If stem cells are ever going to be useful for people, we have got to find a way to produce them safely and efficiently,” Dr De Sousa said.
“For the most part, the state of the field as it had stood was that there was a reliance on either animal cells or products from animal tissues.
“These carry a risk that unknown pathogens - causes of disease - that we cannot screen for could infect the cells and the cells, in turn, could cause infection in whoever receives them.
“Or there could be factors in the animal products that would stimulate an immune response in a human recipient. So, the way we ultimately have to go is to create these different culture environments.
“We have isolated four [cell lines] to date and one of these four has been isolated in a completely different media - a coating of a human protein, normally found on the outside of cells that helps cells stick together.
“There is no direct exposure to animal cells or to animal tissue-derived products such as serum.”
Pro-life groups have condemned the use of embryos to provide stem cells and have claimed adult stem cells, such as those found in bone marrow, can be used instead.
Dr De Sousa said research into the use of adult stem cells - which would mean the patient’s own tissue could be used, avoiding immune system problems - should continue. However, given the current level of knowledge, he felt embryonic stem cells were more effective.
“At present, the cells derived from embryo stem cells have two significant advantages,” he said. “One is we can divide embryonic stem cells and produce more cells. That’s really important when it comes to putting cells into people. You don’t need tens or hundreds or thousands of cells, you need millions of cells.
“Also, embryonic stem cells have a broader capacity to form all of the cells found in adults than adult stem cells.”
Last month, another Roslin scientist, Professor Ian Wilmut, who created Dolly the Sheep, was granted a licence to clone human embryos to help further stem cell research. It is thought this could lead to cures for diabetes, quadriplegia and blindness, as well as Parkinson’s and other conditions.
Britain is the world leader in the field and is defying US-led moves at the United Nations to ban therapeutic cloning. Robert Meadowcroft, head of policy and information at the Parkinson’s Disease Society, said the work at Roslin would hasten the use of stem cell treatment - either as a cure or a therapy - in human patients.
“This looks like being a very important piece of work that will potentially shorten the period of time to clinical trials in patients and we very much welcome this research,” Mr Meadowcroft said. However, he was cautious when asked about the potential timescales. “We would very much welcome clinical trials starting in three to five years, but we do appreciate that, while science can move forward very quickly at times, problems can take longer to deal with than was thought at first,” he said. “We don’t want to be too optimistic at this stage.”
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