(Press-News.org) Scientists have developed Australia's first adult induced pluripotent stem cell lines using skin biopsies from patients with the rare genetic disease Friedreich Ataxia (FA).
The study was conducted by the University of Melbourne and Monash Institute of Medical Research and is published in the current online edition of the international journal Stem Cell Reviews and Reports. It is the first time adult pluripotent stem cells, known as iPS cells have been developed for a specific disease in Australia, allowing for the development of new treatments for FA and related conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells result from the reprogramming of adult cells, such as skin cells, and are similar to embryonic stem cells in that they have the potential to generate any cell type of the body.
Dr Alice Pébay and Dr Mirella Dottori, co leaders of the study from University of Melbourne, characterized and directed the Friedreich Ataxia iPS cells to become specific cell types, including heart cells and nerves, which are normally not functioning well in the disease.
"By focusing on the heart and nerve cell types, we hope to be able to develop treatments to improve heart function and the loss of movement experienced by patients with FA," Dr Pébay said.
Friedreich Ataxia affects one in 30,000 people globally, and Dr Paul Verma of the Monash Institute of Medical Research said this research could be applied to other diseases.
"Due to the number of symptoms experienced by people with FA, including diabetes and heart disease, this resource could be applied to developing treatment for those conditions and helping even more people, " he said.
Dr Dottori said the research could not have been achieved without a significant network of experts and support from the Friedreich Ataxia Research Association (Australasia) (FARA-A) and the Friedreich Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) in the United States.
"It is the collective effort of clinicians, scientists, patients and FARA that has made this discovery possible," she said.
Ms Varlli Beetham, Executive Director of FARA said the finding provided real hope for people suffering the debilitating condition. "We are proud to have supported this research effort and look forward to the next stage of research, the development of new trial treatments," she said.
INFORMATION:
The study was done in collaboration with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Monash University, Austin Health and the O'Brien Institute.
For more information contact: Emma O'Neill Media Officer University of Melbourne mobile: 0432758734, eaoneill@unimelb.edu.au or Julie Jacobs Monash Institute of Medical Research mobile: 0429 119 038 . Please note that the University of Melbourne have a television studio and is able to perform live crosses to any television station in Australia.
Skin provides Australia's first adult stem cells for rare genetic disease
2011-01-14
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Fruit fly nervous system provides new solution to fundamental computer network problem
2011-01-14
PITTSBURGH—The fruit fly has evolved a method for arranging the tiny, hair-like structures it uses to feel and hear the world that's so efficient a team of scientists in Israel and at Carnegie Mellon University says it could be used to more effectively deploy wireless sensor networks and other distributed computing applications.
With a minimum of communication and without advance knowledge of how they are connected with each other, the cells in the fly's developing nervous system manage to organize themselves so that a small number of cells serve as leaders that provide ...
GM chickens that don't transmit bird flu developed
2011-01-14
Chickens genetically modified to prevent them spreading bird flu have been produced by researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh.
The scientists have successfully developed genetically modified (transgenic) chickens that do not transmit avian influenza virus to other chickens with which they are in contact. This genetic modification has the potential to stop bird flu outbreaks spreading within poultry flocks. This would not only protect the health of domestic poultry but could also reduce the risk of bird flu epidemics leading to new flu virus epidemics ...
Overexpression of repetitive DNA sequences discovered in common tumor cells
2011-01-14
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center researchers have discovered a previously unknown feature of common tumor cells – massive overexpression of certain DNA sequences that do not code for proteins. These DNA sequences – called satellite repeats – have been studied for their role in chromosomal structure but previously were not suspected of having a role in cancer. The report will appear in the journal Science and is receiving early online release.
"Satellite repeats make up a large part of our genome but had been thought to be inactive," explains David ...
When a kidney transplant fails, home-based dialysis is an option
2011-01-14
Patients returning to dialysis after kidney transplant failure present unique challenges compared with other dialysis patients: they have been exposed to very powerful immunosuppressive medications and have been on dialysis for a longer period of time than other dialysis patients. This puts them at particularly high risk for various complications and death. According to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN), despite complications, these patients can choose to undergo dialysis in the comfort of their own ...
Forget Planet X! New technique could pinpoint Galaxy X
2011-01-14
Planet X, an often-sought 10th planet, is so far a no-show, but Sukanya Chakrabarti has high hopes for finding what might be called Galaxy X – a dwarf galaxy that she predicts orbits our Milky Way Galaxy.
Many large galaxies, such as the Milky Way, are thought to have lots of satellite galaxies too dim to see. They are dominated by "dark matter," which astronomers say makes up 85 percent of all matter in the universe but so far remains undetected.
Chakrabarti, a post-doctoral fellow and theoretical astronomer at the University of California, Berkeley, has developed ...
Writing about worries eases anxiety and improves test performance
2011-01-14
Students can combat test anxiety and improve performance by writing about their worries immediately before the exam begins, according to a University of Chicago study published Friday in the journal Science.
Researchers found that students who were prone to test anxiety improved their high-stakes test scores by nearly one grade point after they were given 10 minutes to write about what was causing them fear, according to the article, "Writing about Testing Boosts Exam Performance in the Classroom." The article appears in the Jan. 14 issue of Science and is based on research ...
A pounding heart may be dangerous for some kidney patients
2011-01-14
Among older adults with a recent heart attack (myocardial infarction), those with lower levels of kidney function are less likely to take their medications as prescribed, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).
"Several types of medications have proven benefit for preventing recurrent heart attacks, yet only about half of people with heart disease take their medications correctly," comments Wolfgang C. Winkelmayer, MD, ScD (Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA). "Adherence ...
Post-heart attack, patients with lower kidney function not taking prescribed meds
2011-01-14
Among older adults with a recent heart attack (myocardial infarction), those with lower levels of kidney function are less likely to take their medications as prescribed, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).
"Several types of medications have proven benefit for preventing recurrent heart attacks, yet only about half of people with heart disease take their medications correctly," comments Wolfgang C. Winkelmayer, MD, ScD (Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA). "Adherence ...
Earth's hot past could be prologue to future climate
2011-01-14
BOULDER –-The magnitude of climate change during Earth's deep past suggests that future temperatures may eventually rise far more than projected if society continues its pace of emitting greenhouse gases, a new analysis concludes. The study, by National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) scientist Jeffrey Kiehl, will appear as a "Perspectives" piece in this week's issue of the journal Science.
Building on recent research, the study examines the relationship between global temperatures and high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere tens of millions of years ago. ...
Aerosols transmit prions to mice, causing disease
2011-01-14
Scientists at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) and the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health (FLI; Tuebingen) have challenged the notion that airborne prions are innocuous.Details of how inhalation of prion-tainted aerosols induced disease are published January 13 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.
It is known that prions can be transmitted through contaminated surgical instruments and, more rarely, through blood transfusions. However, prions are not generally considered to be airborne - in contrast to many viruses such as influenza and chicken pox.
In ...