Xiang-Dong Fu, PhD
Distinguished Professor Dept. of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
With a single treatment, scientists were able to transform brain cells into functioning neurons that restored dopamine — the signaling molecule deficient in people with Parkinson’s disease — to normal levels, eliminating motor symptoms in a Parkinson’s mouse model. The results, “Reversing a model of Parkinson’s disease with in situ converted nigral neurons,” were published in the journal Nature.
Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the malfunction or death of dopamine-producing nerve cells (neurons) in a region of the brain called the substantia nigra, which is responsible for muscle movement and coordination.
While most therapeutic strategies aim to regulate dopamine levels, treat motor symptoms, or prevent the loss of neurons, a potential alternative is to replace the lost neurons.
Recently, researchers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine reprogramed fibroblasts — a cell in connective tissue that produces collagen — into neurons by blocking the production of a protein called PTB.
PTB influences which genes are turned “on” or “off” and is naturally produced at low levels during the development of neurons. "This protein is present in a lot of cells,” study lead Xiang-Dong Fu, PhD, from UCSD, said Read More...
