Scientists at the Luxembourg Center for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) implanted neurons from reprogrammed skin cells into the brains of mice, according to results of an experiment published in the medical journal Stem Cell Reports. And for the first time, no negative effects were seen after six months.
In their latest tests, this research group and their colleagues from the Max Planck Institute, the University Hospital of Münster and the University of Bielefeld (in Germany) succeeded in creating stable nervous tissues in the brains of mice. from skin cells. Then they reprogrammed stem cells into neurons.
A stabilized graft for 6 months without side effects
Six months after implantation, the transplanted neurons have become fully functional and have been fully integrated into the brain. This new success, because it is durably stable, raises hope for future treatments for patients with Parkinson disease. They could replace diseased neurons with healthy ones in the brains of patients with this disease.
The treated mice showed no adverse side effects six months after implantation in the hippocampus and cortex regions of the brain. In fact, the scientists found instead that the implanted neurons were fully integrated into the brain’s complex network. The neurons showed normal activity and were connected to the original brain cells through newly formed synapses, the points of contact between nerve cells.
“Building on current knowledge, we will now be looking specifically for the type of neurons that die in the brains of patients with Parkinson’snamely the dopamine-producing neurons”, reports Jens Schwamborn.
“We are not yet in front of such a success in humans, but I am sure that cell replacement treatments will exist in the future, says Jens Schwamborn, lead author of the study. “The results of our research make us move a little further in this direction”.
“In the future, the implanted neurons could produce the missing dopamine directly in the patient’s brain and transport it to the appropriate brain areas. And this could lead to a real cure” concludes Jens Schwamborn. The first tests in mice are underway in the LCSB laboratories on the campus of the University of Luxembourg in Belval.
