Scientists move closer to 'grow-your-own' brain cell cultures

Featured Article Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience Also Included In: Parkinson's Disease Article Date: 03 Oct 2013 - 0:00 PDT

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Scientists from the University of Western Ontario and the Lawson Health Research Institute have successfully grown large numbers of patients' own brain cells following a small biopsy.

And not only are these cells "healthy," but also they demonstrate a number of powerful attributes to protect and preserve the brain from future injury, toxins and disease.

Scientists from the Departments of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Oncology and Otolaryngology at the University of Western Ontario hope that ultimately these cells can be cultivated in a laboratory to yield specific cell types needed for a particular treatment.

Dr. Matthew O. Hebb, one of the researchers on the study, explained:

"It is our hope that the results of this study provide a footing for further advancement of personalized, cell-based treatments for currently incurable and devastating neurological disorders."

These patient-specific cells may also be able to cross the "blood-brain barrier" by expressing specific therapeutic agents that are released directly into the brain.

The "blood-brain barrier" restricts the passage of substances from the bloodstream to the brain, protecting the brain from many common bacterial infections. While this means that brain infections are very rare, they are often very serious and difficult to treat.

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Scientists move closer to 'grow-your-own' brain cell cultures