Alzheimer's in a Dish

Dr. Rudolph E. Tanzi and Dr. Doo Yeon Kim used human embryonic stem cells with a mixture of chemicals which turned them into neurons. The neurons that were formed were given the Alzheimer’s genes which grew into the wells in petri dishes. The human brain cells that developed the structure of Alzheimer’s disease solved a major problem of how to study the disease and treat it. Although mice were used before they had a problem with the imperfection form of the disease that was developed. 

The human brain cells that were formed in the gel were able to form networks that an actual brain contained. Within weeks of administering the Alzheimer’s disease plaques, Brillo-like clumps, and tangles, twisted spaghetti-like coils, which are the defining features of Alzheimer’s disease formed. 

The critical step in this study is to see if drugs will work in this system to stop the Alzheimer’s in patients. Dr. Tanzi started a project testing 1200 drugs that are on the market and 5000 experimental drugs that finished the first step of clinical testing. An advancement in using a petri dish instead of mice is that thousands of drugs can be studied in a matter of months rather that at least a year.  Dr. Tanzi already used this system to study drugs designed to block the formation of amyloid. These drugs prevented both the plaques and tangles but some of the drugs are still in clinical trials so although they work within the petri dish he doesn’t necessarily know if they work in humans. 

Dr. Sam Gandy wants to use Dr. Tanzi and Dr. Kim’s system to study the effects of the genes that influence a person to get Alzheimer’s.  ApoE4 is one of the most powerful genes which influences about half of all Alzheimer’s cases. 

A petri dish is not an actual brain because it lacks specific essential components; immune system cells appear to contribute to Alzheimer’s once it gets started. Although this system is not a human brain it does open a door to a quick, cheap, and easy way to test drugs that might stop the process of Alzheimer’s. Another advantage of using the petri dish is that it can relate to Alzheimer’s in humans over using mice. This is an innovating study which hopefully can help Alzheimer’s disease.

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/13/science/researchers-replicate-alzheimers-brain-cells-in-a-petri-dish.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSum&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news