Monkeys with Parkinson's disease benefit from human stem cells

A article on science daily was published regarding how monkeys with Parkinson's disease are benefiting from human stem cells.

Parkinson's disease degenerates cells in the brain known as dopaminergic (DA) neurons. When the symptoms of Parkinson's are found, it most likely appears that more than half of the DA neurons are lost in the brain of the individual. Neurosurgeons are planning on using DA neurons created from iPS cells to treat these patients with the disease. iPS cells are made from blood and skin cells which makes them easily obtainable. This idea is being tested for its safety and reliability, so they are trying the experiment on monkeys that have Parkinson's by transplanting the new cells in the monkeys brains.

I believe this could be a remarkable and cheap breakthrough if it works. Scientists were usually using fetal tissue to create DA neurons . Studies mentioned on how the transplant of these cells aid and help relieve symptoms of the disease. But using fetal tissues in general is a controversial topic. The use of iPS cells can help substitute the use of fetal tissue to treat patients.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170830132224.htm

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v548/n7669/full/nature23664.html?foxtrotcallback=true

A Pregnancy Souvenir: Cells That Are Not Your Own

A team of pathologists at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands found that chromosomes from a growing fetus venture off into the mother's body and into many different organs and tissues.  

It was easier to distinguish this in mothers bearing sons because the chromosome that distinguishes males from females is the Y chromosome (male sex chromosome).  

The pathologists started by collecting tissue from 26 women who had died during or after giving birth to their male babies.  It was found that there were Y chromosomes found in every tissue sample taken!(brains, hearts, kidneys, etc.)

This phenomenon was linked to fetal microchimerism, identified in the 1990s by scientists that found that cells from both sons and daughters could leave through the uterus and into many different cells of the body.  This name is derived from the Greek mythology monster, Chimera, that was a goat, lion and dragon all at once.

Recent studies suggest that women always acquire fetal cells each time they become pregnant and these cells can linger in her system for a long time or can eventually disappear.  It is controversial whether or not these cells can be beneficial or harmful to an expecting mother because of the different studies done and what beneficial and hindering effects pregnancy may have on a mother (better healing abilities, postpartum depression or even cancer?).  

More studies will develop over time to better understand the significance of fetal cells in pregnant mothers

I think this is so interesting.  Who would have known that male chromosomes could be swimming around in a mother during and after her pregnancy?  It probably would have been detected sooner but it is easier to distinguish the Y chromosome of a son in the body of a female as opposed to an X chromosome in a female from an unborn daughter.

To read the full article click here or here

Fetal Microchimerism: Death By Pregnancy

Fetal Microchimerism, named after the Greek mythology monster, chimera, was first found in 1990 to be a condition where fetal cells can escape from the uterus and freely disperse through the mother's body.  The problem is, is many times Fetal Microchimerism has affected the health of the mother, including death during, or after, pregnancy.  In a recent study at Leiden University Medical Center, a team of pathologists collected tissue samples from 26 different women, who had previously passed away during, or after, pregnancy.  All of them had been carrying sons, making it easier for the pathologists when collecting samples because they could just look for the Y chromosomes in cells. The experiment was successful, in that the pathologists found Y chromosomes in every single tissue sample they had examined.  The chromosomes were even present in every organ sample as well, including the heart, lungs and even the brain.

When fetal cells inhibit such organs, the condition can then become fatal, essentially controlling the mother's biological controls, such as her body temperature.  Meanwhile, some cells can have the complete opposite affect, aiding the mother's health.  It is the fatal cells which we are still puzzled about.  After women give birth, their immune system kicks in, usually riding of most of these fetal cells.  However, if a woman has an autoimmune disease, she could possible relapse, or even die, after or during giving birth.  Also, tumors in women who have given birth before, contain masses of fetal cells, making us believe that these cells might help drive cancer.

I think this is really interesting, especially seeing that this condition, whether fatal or not, is not all that uncommon.  It actually gives some truth to the myth of "pregnancy brain," and I hope that in the near future, we can find a way to make these cells more passive.