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On the cutting edge of technology
REGENERATIVE medicine is a completely new form of medicine, which has the potential to unlock many secrets of cell division and growth. Stem cell research represents a focal point in the treatment of neuro-degenerative diseases because of the cells’ ability to give rise to all neural lineages and to integrate in the brain upon transplantation.
By definition, stem cells are those undifferentiated cells, which have the ability to divide indefinitely, throwing off daughter cells that can undergo terminal differentiation into particular cell type. Investigators all over the world are exploiting this ability of these cells to get rid of older defective cells and replace them with younger, healthy ones.
The greatest interest in stem cells is derived from their ability to multiply on culture plates, get stored in biobanks and form defined cell types. Stem cell therapy is a choice therapy in efforts to replace lost or damaged cells when the body itself is unable to regenerate them.
Cell replacement therapy has a great potential to cure or delay the progressive course of neuro-degenerative diseases, such as the Parkinson’s disease and Chorea Huntington’s disease.
Keeping the importance of stem cell research in mind, the Rostock University of Germany recently organized a spring school of fifteen days. This school afforded us the opportunity to meet, discuss and interact with the most prominent scientists in the field. The topics covered were basic cellular biology of the stem cell and the neurology of neuro-degenerative medicine. The participants focused on the Parkinson’s disease, Chorea Huntington’s disease, Multiple sclerosis, as well as stroke.
During the first week of the school, titled “Use of stem cells in neuro-degenerative diseases: Basics and applications”, we listened to lectures delivered by outstanding scientists who discussed molecular mechanisms underlying stem cell developmental decisions. Furthermore, identification of molecular markers and mechanical and chemical inducing agents of stem cells were also discussed. Finally, in vivo and in vitro experiments were carried out, first on animal models and then on animals, to demonstrate that the dream of generating the cells of choice would become a reality pretty soon.
In the second week, selected junior scientists were given practical knowledge on techniques employed in stem cell research. Lab work started with isolating stem cells from a female mouse having embryos of 14 days. The brain was dissected out from the embryos and neuronal stem cells were cultured. Protein was purified from cultured cells and identified through gel electrophoresis. Simultaneously, the membrane potential of stem cells was measured, using advanced techniques of electrophysiology.
The school was organized by Prof A. Rolfs of the Rostock University, with the cooperation of other universities in Aarhus, Odense, Gdansk, Latvia, Prague and Warsaw, under the patronage of the German Society of Neurology. Major financial sponsorship was provided by Aceton Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Germany.
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