New method to transform skin cells into heart tissue

For the first time in medical history scientists have been able to transform skin cells into healthy heart muscle tissue. The ground-breaking experiment was conducted by a team from Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. The research was led by Professor Lior Gepstein, who described the importance of his findings to the Voice of Russia.

Yulia Monakhova; For the first time in medical history scientists have been able to transform skin cells into healthy heart muscle tissue. The ground-breaking experiment was conducted by a team from Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. The research was led by Professor Lior Gepstein, who described the importance of his findings to the Voice of Russia. Scientists expect this research to be very promising and not just for the treatment of heart diseases. Potentially it could be used in curing diabetes and different central nervous system disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. The input material for this was the skin cells of a couple of elderly patients suffering from impaired cardiac function. The researchers managed to “grow” healthy heart cells from these samples and inject it into an animal’s heart. The experiment showed that the cells can survive and integrate into the existing heart tissue. The results give hope as – in theory – there shouldn’t be any rejection of the tissue of the “donor” himself. The two elderly patients, whose cells were sampled, had suffered from heart attacks. Scientists were able to grow from those samples in the laboratory healthy heart muscle tissue, which was then transplanted into mice. This technology, which is the basis of the study, was developed by Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka. He was able to show that one could re-program adult cells to cells which resemble the earlier cells in the embryo. These cells can become any cell-type in the body. He called the cells to be generated “induced pluripotent stem cells” or “iPS-cells”. In other words, Yamanaka proved that it is possible to transform a regular cell into the equivalent of human embryonic stem cells. The innovation prompted Professor Gepstein to start his own research into stem-cells and using them to cure heart diseases. Gepstein described the future of his treatment to the Voice of Russia: “In this study we tried to see whether you can take skin cells from elderly and very sick individuals that have had heart failure and use them to generate heart cells. We took skin cells from patients with heart-failure, re-programmed them to generate iPS-cells, and then we took these stem-cells and differentiated them to generate heart cells. The heart cells of the patients themselves were very sick; they had dysfunctional heart cells, because they were suffering from heart failure and previous heart attacks. The heart cells that we generated from their skin cells were healthy and young, similar to heart cells of these specific patients at the time, when they were born.” Gepstein noted that if their method is approved, it will take at least 5-10 years before clinical use of this technology. “One of the problems that involved the use of iPS-cells is the concern that they may become tumorigenic or form cancer, so we need to make sure that this will not happen and will be extremely safe. Another obstacle is to improve the ability of the cells not only to engraft and survive, but also to mature and contribute to the function of the heart.” The scientists also still need to scale up the procedure. Currently they can make a few million heart cells, but a typical heart attack which leads to heart failure can kill roughly a billion healthy cells. Source: The Voice of Russia

Read More........→June 14, 2012

How simple painkillers may make one forever young

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Researchers at Newcastle University say that chronic inflammation may accelerate ageing and trigger diseases by preventing the body’s cells from regenerating. Scientists believe that cheap anti-inflammatory drugs, namely ibuprofen, can boost the chances of older people staying fit and healthy, as they cure age-related type two diabetes, arthritis and dementia. The drug, taken by millions of people every day to treat headaches, muscle pains and flu, ‘rescued’ inflammation-prone mice and stopped their ageing process. Radio VR discusses the medical issue with experts in the field from Newcastle University: Dr. Diana Jurk, Research Associate at the Institute for Ageing and Health and Professor Derek Mann, Head of the fibrosis laboratories

Whatever positive prospects the finding may open up for the mankind, it's unlikely that ageing is impacted by one factor only, argue both experts in an interview to radio VR. "The length to which we live is different between different people and that is likely to be multifactoral, including differences in the types of genes that we have, the way in which those genes are expressed, how we react to our environment". We all indeed grow up in a variety environments and surroundings that differ significantly from one another, the Mr. Mann says. There are some regularities in the ageing process, though, notably those suffering from some chronic diseases that typically have to do with inflammation seem on the whole top age faster than all the rest. "And so, this has led to the idea that the ageing process may be accelerated if there is also an inflammatory process going on in the background." With the study enjoying much scientific attention, there's recently been many interuniversity tests focusing among others on "the role of inflammation in cancer". Research is all-embracing in the area, said Mr. Mann, specially singling out Pr. Zglinicki’s laboratory that currently works on ageing issues. Early results are rather far-fetched and do not really prove that a simple drug of ibuprofen taken in alone could make wonders and make one younger. Take note: Ibuprofen serves as a simple painkiller by affecting body chemicals called prostaglandins, released in the body in response to an illness or injury. The chemicals may cause pain and swelling, or even a high temperature, if released in the brain. A dose intake guarantees a relief from pain, but the anti-inflammatory effect will take longer – up to three weeks- to arrive. "It is too early to say that if one was to take ibuprofen, say on a daily basis, that it would extend your life or prevent you from having age-related diseases." Still, Ms. Jurk states anti-inflammation treatment does not just cure the illness, but has an overall favorable impact as it adds to regenerating such organs as liver or small intestine. Healthy ageing is another issue to consider. As Prof. Mann notes, what needs more thorough studying is how inflammation relates to ageing, so as to find the way a person can get older feeling no burden of typical age-related health conditions. "If we can understand better how inflammation interacts with the ageing process, we may be able to find ways of improving healthy ageing. That is – people will still get old, but maybe they would get old without having a lot of the debilities that are associated with aging and that have an inflammatory basis." The expert continues by adducing an example from real medical practice of curing arthritis. As far as arthritis goes, there are drugs that target specific components of the inflammatory response, like TNFα (tumor necrosis factor alpha), and IL-6 (Interleukin 6) now widely used for therapy. "Now, this same sort of drugs, which will be a lot more specific than ibuprofen, with less side-effects might be able to be used to ease the ageing process. And these drugs are already available clinically," comments Mr. Mann. The drugs that the scientific community has lately been working on still have a number of side-effects that may rightly discourage medical workers from widely prescribing them: "I would hope that would not be the case and I think that the majority of general practitioners are aware of the side-effects of being on this class of drugs long term, in particular in the gastrointestinal system in which they can have quite severe effects causing bleeding, for example," sums up Prof. Mann. Besides, the so positive sounding results of the survey apply basically to those suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions, points out Ms. Jurk. So, the findings do not embrace a whole wealth of possible medical cases related to inflammation. The proven idea behind the study is, however, priceless, as it may give impetus to new approaches in dealing with age-related problems and boosting a nation's health at large, namely by drawing everybody's attention to natural anti-inflammation treatments. Beetroots, berries and carrots are well-known for their healthy properties and it's not for nothing that these enjoy wide use in the pharmaceutical industry. 

Top inflammation-fighting foods:

• -fatty fish 
• -whole grains 
• -dark leafy greens
• -soy
• -beets
• -tomatoes
• -nuts
• -low-fat dairy
• -peppers, onion and garlic 
• -olive oil

"I think what doctors would be better to do, would be using this information to advise patients, who are getting a bit older, to improve their lifestyle and to look for natural way of combating inflammation. We know that there are a lot of fruits and vegetables – beetroots, cranberries, other types of berries, carrots etc. – that have natural anti-inflammatory properties. And furthermore, exercise as well has anti-inflammatory property." Take note of a wealth of recipes available online to succesfully battle inflammations and swellings, and,as it follows from the above-described research, add considerably to your fitness, general well-being..and good looks. Source: Voice Of Russia, Image: flickr.com

Read More........→September 08, 2014

3 scientists share 2013 Nobel Prize in Medicine

The 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to scientist Schekman, Rothman and Suedhof The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute awarded The 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to 1) James E. Rothman, Randy [USA], 2)W. Schekman [USA], 3)Thomas C. Südhof [Germany], Award Money - $1.2 million, For their discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic, a major transport system in our cells The 2013 Nobel Prize honors three scientists who have solved the mystery of how the cell organizes its transport system. Each cell is a factory that produces and exports molecules. For instance, insulin is manufactured and released into the blood and chemical signals called neurotransmitters are sent from one nerve cell to another. These molecules are transported around the cell in small packages called vesicles. The three Nobel Laureates have discovered the molecular principles that govern how this cargo is delivered to the right place at the right time in the cell. Randy Schekman discovered a set of genes that were required for vesicle traffic. James Rothman unravelled protein machinery that allows vesicles to fuse with their targets to permit transfer of cargo. Thomas Südhof revealed how signals instruct vesicles to release their cargo with precision. Through their discoveries, Rothman, Schekman and Südhof have revealed the exquisitely precise control system for the transport and delivery of cellular cargo. Disturbances in this system have deleterious effects and contribute to conditions such as neurological diseases, diabetes, and immunological disorders. How cargo is transported in the cell In a large and busy port, systems are required to ensure that the correct cargo is shipped to the correct destination at the right time. The cell, with its different compartments called organelles, faces a similar problem: cells produce molecules such as hormones, neurotransmitters, cytokines and enzymes that have to be delivered to other places inside the cell, or exported out of the cell, at exactly the right moment. Timing and location are everything. Miniature bubble-like vesicles, surrounded by membranes, shuttle the cargo between organelles or fuse with the outer membrane of the cell and release their cargo to the outside. This is of major importance, as it triggers nerve activation in the case of transmitter substances, or controls metabolism in the case of hormones. How do these vesicles know where and when to deliver their cargo? Traffic congestion reveals genetic controllers Randy Schekman was fascinated by how the cell organizes its transport system and in the 1970s decided to study its genetic basis by using yeast as a model system. In a genetic screen, he identified yeast cells with defective transport machinery, giving rise to a situation resembling a poorly planned public transport system. Vesicles piled up in certain parts of the cell. He found that the cause of this congestion was genetic and went on to identify the mutated genes. Schekman identified three classes of genes that control different facets of the cell´s transport system, thereby providing new insights into the tightly regulated machinery that mediates vesicle transport in the cell. Docking with precision James Rothman was also intrigued by the nature of the cell´s transport system. When studying vesicle transport in mammalian cells in the 1980s and 1990s, Rothman discovered that a protein complex enables vesicles to dock and fuse with their target membranes. In the fusion process, proteins on the vesicles and target membranes bind to each other like the two sides of a zipper. The fact that there are many such proteins and that they bind only in specific combinations ensures that cargo is delivered to a precise location. The same principle operates inside the cell and when a vesicle binds to the cell´s outer membrane to release its contents. It turned out that some of the genes Schekman had discovered in yeast coded for proteins corresponding to those Rothman identified in mammals, revealing an ancient evolutionary origin of the transport system. Collectively, they mapped critical components of the cell´s transport machinery. Timing is everything Thomas Südhof was interested in how nerve cells communicate with one another in the brain. The signalling molecules, neurotransmitters, are released from vesicles that fuse with the outer membrane of nerve cells by using the machinery discovered by Rothman and Schekman. But these vesicles are only allowed to release their contents when the nerve cell signals to its neighbors. How is this release controlled in such a precise manner? Calcium ions were known to be involved in this process and in the 1990s, Südhof searched for calcium sensitive proteins in nerve cells. He identified molecular machinery that responds to an influx of calcium ions and directs neighbour proteins rapidly to bind vesicles to the outer membrane of the nerve cell. The zipper opens up and signal substances are released. Südhof´s discovery explained how temporal precision is achieved and how vesicles´ contents can be released on command. Vesicle transport gives insight into disease processes The three Nobel Laureates have discovered a fundamental process in cell physiology. These discoveries have had a major impact on our understanding of how cargo is delivered with timing and precision within and outside the cell. Vesicle transport and fusion operate, with the same general principles, in organisms as different as yeast and man. The system is critical for a variety of physiological processes in which vesicle fusion must be controlled, ranging from signalling in the brain to release of hormones and immune cytokines. Defective vesicle transport occurs in a variety of diseases including a number of neurological and immunological disorders, as well as in diabetes. Without this wonderfully precise organization, the cell would lapse into chaos. James E. Rothman was born 1950 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA. He received his PhD from Harvard Medical School in 1976, was a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and moved in 1978 to Stanford University in California, where he started his research on the vesicles of the cell. Rothman has also worked at Princeton University, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute and Columbia University. In 2008, he joined the faculty of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, where he is currently Professor and Chairman in the Department of Cell Biology. Randy W. Schekman was born 1948 in St Paul, Minnesota, USA, studied at the University of California in Los Angeles and at Stanford University, where he obtained his PhD in 1974 under the supervision of Arthur Kornberg (Nobel Prize 1959) and in the same department that Rothman joined a few years later. In 1976, Schekman joined the faculty of the University of California at Berkeley, where he is currently Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell biology. Schekman is also an investigator of Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Thomas C. Südhof was born in 1955 in Göttingen, Germany. He studied at the Georg-August-Universität in Göttingen, where he received an MD in 1982 and a Doctorate in neurochemistry the same year. In 1983, he moved to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, USA, as a postdoctoral fellow with Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein (who shared the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine). Südhof became an investigator of Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 1991 and was appointed Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University in 2008.  Source: Article, Image: Screen Shot On Video

Read More........→October 12, 2013