LONDON
(Reuters) - Researchers have isolated and cultivated brain cells
from human corpses in a scientific feat that could provide a new
source of stem cells for research and developing medical treatments.
Professor
Fred Gage and his colleagues at the Salk Institute in California
obtained the brain cells that can grow, divide and form specialized
brain cells from tissue samples of people shortly after their
deaths.
Their achievement,
reported in the science journal Nature on Wednesday, could overcome
the ethical obstacles of using stem cells derived from embryos.
``I find it
remarkable that we have pockets of cells in our brain that can
grow and differentiate throughout our lives and even after death,''
Gage said in a statement.
Stem cells
are master cells that can grow into virtually any type of cell
in the body. Embryos are the richest source of human stem cells
but their use has been dogged by ethical debate.
Right-to-life
and religious groups oppose the use of stem cells from early embryos.
Scientists want to use the cells to develop treatments for diseases
ranging from Parkinson's, diabetes and cancers to leukemia, hepatitis
and stroke.
Gage and his
team used biopsy or post-mortem tissue from 23 people ranging
from 11 weeks to 72 years old. Tissue taken from younger individuals
provided more viable cells.
The scientists
used special growth factors to obtain cells from the tissue, which
they said was a crucial element to their success.
``This study
employed a pool of cells from extracted tissue. We haven't yet
isolated individual cells from that pool and followed them to
see if a single cell can give rise to multiple classes of brain
cells,'' Gage explained.
All of the
cells used in the research were from people who had suffered from
brain disorders. Gage and his colleagues were using them to study
the cell biology of the various brain diseases.
``Cells recovered
from healthy individuals could provide a model for understanding
how to stimulate and guide the normal processes of brain cell
growth and differentiation, lending insight to how growth might
be stimulated in people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases
such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's,'' said Gage.
The scientists
are also planning to transplant the brain cells into animals to
see if they survive and differentiate.
``Testing
in whole animals is the only way to know if adult tissue can be
a source of stem or progenitor cells for transplant purposes to
treat neurodegenerative disease,'' Gage added.
Stem cells
are derived from the cells of aborted fetuses, blood cells taken
from the umbilical cord at birth and adult tissue. Stem cells
from early embryos offer the greatest potential for human benefit.
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