Mark Henderson, Science Editor
2 for 1 tickets to Casablanca, this coming Monday
Cloned embryonic stem cells have been used to treat animals with Parkinson’s disease for the first time, in an important step towards developing the therapy for human patients.
The successful experiment marks the first time that cloned stem cells have been used to reverse disease in the same animals from which they were derived, and suggests that it should be possible to use therapeutic cloning in medicine.
It points to the medical promise of embryonic stem cell research, as the House of Commons prepares to debate legislation that will regulate the field.
Embryonic stem cells are master cells that can grow into any form of tissue. They thus have the potential to create replacements for cells that are lost or damaged in conditions such as Parkinson’s, diabetes and spinal paralysis.
Scientists also hope that it will be possible eventually to make these cells with embryos cloned from the patients they will be used to treat. As these replacement cells would carry the patient’s genetic code, they could be transplanted without fear of rejection by the immune system.
The research, from a team led by Lorenz Studer, of the Sloan-Kettering Institute in New York, takes science a step closer to such therapeutic cloning, by proving that it can work in an animal model of Parkinson’s disease.
The disorder is caused by the loss of neurons that make dopamine, an important brain signalling chemical, leading to a characteristic tremor and loss of motor skills, and often to depression and dementia.
The scientists first created 187 lines of cloned embryonic stem cells from 24 mice bred to develop the equivalent of Parkinson’s, using a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer.
These cloned cells were then cultured in the laboratory to grow into dopamine neurons. These were then transplanted into the brains of the Parkinsonian mice that provided the DNA with which they were originally created.
When mice received neurons grown from their own cloned stem cells, their neurological symptoms improved and they showed no signs of rejecting the transplanted tissue.
When the neurons were grafted into different mice that were not a genetic match, however, the mice failed to recover.
The findings, which are published in the journal Nature Medicine, suggest that it could be possible to use this cloning approach to treat Parkinson’s in humans.
“Although technically complex . . . these data demonstrate the feasibility of treating individual Parkinsonian mice via therapeutic cloning, and suggest considerable therapeutic potential for the future,” the scientists said. Several important hurdles remain, however, before similar techniques can be tried on humans. First, only two groups, one in Britain and one in the US, have succeeded in cloning human embryos, and none has yet produced stem cells from a cloned embryo.
The inefficiency of cloning, which requires hundreds of eggs to produce a single viable clone, is also expected to limit therapeutic applications.
Many scientists think that the main use of cloning will be to make laboratory models of disease for medical research, rather than treatments to be given to patients. This can be done by inserting human DNA into animal eggs, which will be allowed under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.
The results also suggest that a different approach to producing patient-matched stem cells — by reprogramming adult cells into an embryonic state — is likely to be useful in therapy. These “induced pluripotent” stem cells also carry the genetic material of patients, but as they are not produced from embryos they may be simpler to create, and raise fewer ethical objections from those who oppose embryo research.
Experts on stem cells and Parkinson’s disease said the results were exciting.
Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, of the National Institute for Medical Research in London, said: “This is a very well conducted study that provides further proof-of-principle of the idea of ‘therapeutic cloning’ using a mouse model.
“Ideally one of the next steps will be to repeat the whole procedure with a monkey model, in which all the individual steps have now been established. This will allow much better tests of functional recovery and safety.”
Kieran Breen, director of research at the Parkinson’s Disease Society, said: “Stem cell therapy offers great hope for repairing the brain in people with Parkinson’s. It may ultimately offer a cure, allowing people to lead a life that is free from the symptoms of Parkinson’s.
“Researchers in this area now need to carry out more studies to satisfy safety concerns and to make the process more efficient before these studies are carried out on people living with Parkinson’s.”
Enjoy screenings of all the classic films you love.
Have you ever dreamed of owning your own racehorse or a beautiful painting?
Enjoy comfort, safety, space and great design. Plus enter our great competition
Are you California dreaming? Explore the wonders of the Golden State. Also enter our fantastic competition
Do you have what it takes to be a Times photographer?
Your brain is capable of more than you might think...
Find out to make the most of your money with our wealth management guides
Need help with your property? We have an entire how to guide - buying, selling, letting, moving, to help you
Everything the Business Traveller needs to know to make a better trip
We are seeking entries for the inaugural Sunday Times Best Green Companies Awards
Enjoy some wonderful inspiring wildlife moments
An interactive preview of the brand new For Your Eyes Only exhibition
Love Sudoku? Play our brand new interactive game: with added functionality and daily prizes
Are you irritable when you return from work? Drained of emotion? You could be suffering from boreout
Prepare for some shock and awe, petrol lovers. Despite the greens trying to wipe it out, the car is about to offer us the most exciting year ever
We've trawled the brochures and websites to find this summer’s best holidays for every taste and budget
Overseas contacts and local business information
Everything you need to know, own or do
Direct from the farms
2007/07
£57,500
South East England
2007/57
£22,950
The Midlands
2006/06
£41,995
South East England
Great car insurance deals online
£40-55k+benefits+uncapped commission
Morgan Keating
South East
£60k plus excellent benefits
Barclaycard
Stockton / Northampton
£
£55,000 - £75,000 plus bonus and benefits
Diligenta
Based in Peterborough
£45,000 - £70,000 plus bonus and benefits
Diligenta
Based in Peterborough
Globrix, the property search engine
Visit Times Online Property for homes for sale or rent
Residential development site with planning permission
£1,500,000
Mortgages, bank accounts & money transfers to help you buy abroad
Dinarobin Hotel Golf & Spa 7 nights
From £1830 per person – saving £530.
Smart prices on ATOL protected holidays
Excellent online info & holiday selection.
Walt Disney World Resort Florida SALE!
From £619 per person!
Great travel insurance deals online
Contact our advertising team for advertising and sponsorship in Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times. Search globrix.com to buy or rent UK property.
© Copyright 2008 Times Newspapers Ltd.
This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard Terms and Conditions. Please read our Privacy Policy.To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here.This website is published by a member of the News International Group. News International Limited, 1 Virginia St, London E98 1XY, is the holding company for the News International group and is registered in England No 81701. VAT number GB 243 8054 69.
I am over the moon with the current stem cell research going on, I think the scientist that work so hard every day to find new therapy's for Parkinson's & other conditions disserve a medal!! Not only are they doing the most unbelievable work but they also have to put up with people putting there efforts down for the sake of there own religious beliefs.
Heather, Newcastle,
It's great that these wonderful people are doing their best to help those of us who are suffering with health problems, and in my opinion they should be give all the assistance to carry out their research, at what ever the cost, and Religion should have no part in the decision making through out the world, particularly in our own Country (UK) It's always the do gooders who hold back any advancement they make, while people are suffering with all sorts of illnesses. I say well done to the researches and keep up the good work.
Raymond Ashley, Burtonwood, Warrington, UK
There is great hope of therapy for Parkinson's Disease with bacteriophages too. It could be a lot easier, cheaper and quicker than stem cell research - House of Commons please note.
To quote from 'The Health Value of Bacteriophages' 2007, a Winston Churchill Fellow's Report:- page 10, http://www.wcmt.org.uk/public/reports/168_1.pdf ,
"...some special types of phages, filamentous in shape, could soon help with restoring the cognitive abilities of Alzheimer's patients. Administered through the nose, the phages can reach the brain directly and rapidly. Her [Prof. Beka Solomon's] research with mice demonstrates that phages can reduce the extracellular plaque and also brain inflammation without adverse effects. This may open the way for various new treatments of other neurological diseases including Parkinson's Disease and Huntingdon's Disease. This breakthrough research goes way beyond the application of phages just as an anti-infective agent. What an opportunity!"
Grace Filby, Reigate, UK
My mother contracted the disease at the age of 27, and battled with it until her early demise on her 50th birthday. She tried many treatments including brain surgery, but for the last 5 years of her life, found a way of self medicating with her presciptions, (instead of taking them blindly to order.) She found enough freedom to escape her wheelchair, and to have times of much improved mobility. Even though the sheer energy that she summoned to do the most mundane things were Herculian.
She was a great ambassador for the disease, and fought with bravery and great intelligience, even offering to work with neurologists to figure out her way of medicating.
But the years of constant medication, caused severe cardiac damage, and she was not able to conquer that.
This news would have meant the world and more to her.
Anyone who has lived with Parkinsons disease will be celebrating this incredible breakthrough.
Thank you from my heart for giving hope of eradicating this disease forever.
Gemma Douglas-Simmonite, Brighton, E.Sussex
my father had a stroke in mar.2007 and parkinson at the same time..he has improved a lot. he is taking the following medicines----syndopa-thrice a day,eptoin-thrice a day and valance--once a day..he is taking one tablet fordiabetties and one tablet for B.Pressure
RAJIV NAYAR, delhi, india
What an amazing experiment result!
From my point of view,our scientists will finally find out the therapy for Parkinsonâs disease
eric, GD, china