US experts have successfully created human brain cells in the lab which are an exact copy of genetically caused Parkinson’s disease. The burst through help researchers to see exactly how mutation in the parkin gene disrupt the function of dopamine, the brain chemical that controls body movement and causes the disease in one in ten patients suffering Parkinson’s.
This is the first of kind of study that uses live human neurons to examine the role that parkin plays in Parkinson’s disease. It was made possible only through the use of stem cells. The research team from University at Buffalo created human neurons with the help of human skin cells taken from four individuals.
Two individuals were suffering with a rare type of Parkinson’s disease in which their disease occurred due to the parkin mutation and other two individuals were healthy people who acted as controls. This allowed researchers to watch function of the parkin gene. The study published in the current issue of the journal Nature Communications.
In general, parkin gene controls the generation of an enzyme known as monamine oxidase (MAO) which, in turn, keeps a check on the brain-signalling chemical dopamine. When parkin mutation occurs that control is lost and levels of MAO increase, which may be deadly to dopamine-producing brain cells.
Researchers want to trial new treatments that might prevent occurring of this damage and stop this form of Parkinson’s. They have already shown that they can reverse the defect by putting a normal parkin gene into diseased neurons. Dr Jian Feng, study author states this is the first time that human dopamine neurons have ever been generated from Parkinson’s disease patients with parkin mutations.
Prior to, this they did not even think about being able to study the disease in human neurons. The brain is so fully integrated. It is impossible to obtain live human neurons to study, added Dr Fen working as professor of physiology and biophysics from the university’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
According to Dr Michelle Gardner, research development manager at Parkinson’s UK, this study was particularly exciting as it provided a new way to examine this genetic form of Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s UK that funded the research has already shown that parkin plays a key role in how Parkinson’s develops in the brain nerve cells that die.