Mission Motor Neurone Disease Therapies Aided by Stem Cell Study

Discovery by means of cutting-edge stem cell research might hasten the finding of new treatments for motor neurone disease (MND).

The international research team has created motor neurones using skin cells from a patient with an inherited form of MND.

Scientists Take First Step to Developing a Test for Motor Neuron Disease
Scientists have identified a common signature of nerve damage in the brains of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) patients.

The study discovered that abnormalities of a protein called TDP-43, implicated in more than 90 per cent of cases of MND, resulted in the death of motor neurone cells.

This is the first time that scientists have been able to see the direct effect of abnormal TDP-43 on human motor neurons.

The study, led by the University of Edinburgh's Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, was carried out in partnership with King's College London, Colombia University, New York and the University of San Francisco.

Polyunsaturated Fat, Vitamin E Lowers Risk Of Motor Neurone Disease
Risk of developing motor neurone disease can be reduced by around 60 percent, by using a diet, which is high in polyunsaturated fat or vitamin E, according to a new study

MND is a devastating, untreatable and ultimately fatal condition that results from progressive loss of the motor nerves – motor neurones – that control movement, speech and breathing.

Professor Siddharthan Chandran, of the University of Edinburgh, said: "Using patient stem cells to model MND in a dish offers untold possibilities for how we study the cause of this terrible disease as well as accelerating drug discovery by providing a cost-effective way to test many thousands of potential treatments."

Exposure to Toxic Substances may Cause Motor Neuron Disease
Motor Neuron Disease (MND) is an illness in which the nerve cells that carry signals from the brain to the muscles gradually deteriorate.

The study, funded by the MND Association, is published in the journal PNAS

Dr Brian Dickie, Director of Research and Development for the MND Association, said: "This advance is a significant milestone on the road to developing a laboratory model of MND that faithfully reflects the cellular events happening in the patient.

Polyunsaturated Fats And Vitamin E Cut MND Risk By 60 Percent
A study by Dutch researchers suggests that eating foods high in polyunsaturated fats and vitamin E could bring down the risk of developing motor neurone disease by 60 percent.

"It is also a testament to the importance of international collaboration, with eminent scientists from leading institutions around the world focused on the common goal of understanding and, ultimately, defeating this devastating disease".

Source-Eurekalert