Stem Cells and Parkinson's Disease
comparative Essay
2615 words
The goal of this paper is to compare the utility of adult, embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to treat Parkinson’s disease. As such several things will be assessed, dosage of stemcells, improvement in motor function, in combination with the presence of α-synuclein proteins and cell survival. To give a short overview of the steps that will be taken to complete the study. Obtaining stem cells, whether adult, embryonic or induced, shall be done using healthy mouse models and after ethical approval has been gained. The process to derive them will be detailed below, however they are also purchasable commercially with the benefit of being well studied and accompanied by a detailed analysis of properties, however with a higher purchasing costs. All steps should be done using sterile techniques to avoid contamination, both to object and self. All (disposable) materials should be sterilized and (where possible) only for 1 time use, due to the sensitivity stem cells have to detergents. After verifying they are bonafide stem cells the next phase should be ready to commence. Rats will be used as a disease model. All will be healthy, adult and a baseline PET scan and performance on a rotarod will be done. All but 1 set will then be subjected to a neurotoxin to mimic the diseased Parkinson state. Another PET scan and rotarod test will be done on all groups. The groups affected by the neurotoxin will then be subdivided into those receiving the different types of stem cells, one subgroup will receive no treatment and one group will receive medium (no cells). Next to this 2 different dosages will occur. Another PET scan and rotarod will be done to determine if any improvement occurs. Rats will then be sacrificed to determi... ... middle of paper ... ...ter a 6-OHDA lesion of the substantia nigra in a single hemisphere and if the injected cells would become infected by α-synuclein proteins. References: Bjorklund LM, Sánchez-Pernaute R, Chung S, Andersson T, Chen IY, McNaught KS, Brownell AL, Jenkins BG, Wahlestedt C, Kim KS, et al. Embryonic stem cells develop into functional dopaminergic neurons after transplantation in a Parkinson rat model. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2002;99:2344–2349. Lerou, P.H. et al. Derivation and maintenance of human embryonic stem cells from poor-quality in vitro fertilization embryos. Nat. Protoc. 3, 923– 933 (2008). Mead R. 1988. The design of experiments. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press. 620 p. Takahashi, K., Okita, K., Nakagawa, M. & Yamanaka, S. Induction of pluripotent stem cells from fibroblast cultures. Nat. Protoc. 2, 3081–3089 (2007).
In this essay, the author
- Recommends using mef medium with fbs instead of sr-medium to disaggregate the embryo.
- Explains that ipscs can be obtained from several different cell types. adipose cells are a viable alternative to fibroblasts with high accessibility in pd patients.
- Explains how to obtain adipose cells by removing fat pads from 8-10 week old mice and placing them in hanks balanced salt solution.
- Explains that the use of neurotoxin rodent models to study parkinson's has been well established. 6-ohda causes oxidative stress to daergic neurons, causing them to die quickly.
- Recommends a post-hoc analysis to determine if tukey’s hsd test would give the result that most benefitted from the admission of stem cells.
- Explains that different types of stem cells are being investigated in animal models in order to find a cure for parkinson’s disease.
- Outlines the steps involved in the study to compare the utility of adult, embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (ipscs) to treat parkinson's disease.
- Explains the culturing of mouse and human embryonic stem cells using dmem, l-glutamine, penicillin/streptomycin, and knockout sr-medium.
- Explains how to produce the retrovirus using 293t cells, dmem, and pmx, gag-pol and vsv-g–expressing plasmids.
- Explains that the ventricles provide the most neurospheres, but the subventricular zone is of particular importance since it may represent a source in aged and parkinson’s affected individuals.
- Explains that mrna transcripts can be used to determine cell differentiation status, and how far differentiated a mixture of cells may be.
- Explains that rats will be injected with immunosuppressors to prevent rejection. a lower dose of embryonic stem cells 1,000-2,000 cells / l might be more beneficial due to more direct contact with the neuronal environment.
- Explains that several moments of rotational behavior assessment will need to take place across several different groups to assess the effects of the stem cells.
- Recommends using mead's resource equation to estimate the group size. the statistical test would be a two-way-anova to analyse the rotarod performance.
- Explains that embryonic stem cells develop into functional dopaminergic neurons after transplantation in a parkinson rat model.
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- The Ethics and Potential of Stem Cell Researchcomparative essayIn England, during the late 1790s, physician Edward Jenner discovered how to vaccinate people against smallpox. Approximately 190 years later, in 1980, smallpox was declared eradicated (Edward Jenner). Today, humanity continues to follow in Jenner’s footsteps through working to cure and eradicate diseases that threaten people across the globe. Unfortunately, however, vaccines and antibiotics do not always work, and scientists need to find new ways in which to cure the diseases that have yet to be cured, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes. The key to curing these ailments is through embryonic stem cell research, which can be used as a form of regenerative medicine, as well as helping scientists understand how and why people fall ill, and can also assist in testing medicines for a variety of afflictions. Therefore, embryonic stem cell research should continue to be legal in the United States.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that embryonic stem cell research can be used as a form of regenerative medicine and help scientists understand how and why people fall ill.
- States that embryonic stem cell research has the potential to revolutionize the medical field by assisting scientists in their perpetual search for the cures to deadly diseases that puzzle epidemiologists today.
- Explains that stem cells and their regenerative abilities can be used to replace organ donations altogether, which also allows for preservation of human life.
- Concludes that embryonic stem cell research has limited or uncertain potential, since it can be used for regenerative therapies, testing of medications, and gaining greater understanding of disease.
- Concludes that embryonic stem cell research should remain legal in the united states.
- Explains that edward jenner and the eradication of smallpox were published in pubmed.
882 wordsRead More - The Controversy over Stem Cells and Parkinson's Diseaseexplanatory essayThe Controversy over Stem Cells and Parkinson's Disease Without any thought, without even noticing it happens, when one has an itch, they scratch it. The arm moves up to the face, the fingers reach down and move across the skin. This series of actions, which many of us do everyday is something individuals with Parkinson's disease struggle with every moment of their lives. Simple movements are replaced by frozen limbs that they or their nervous system can not move.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that parkinson's disease causes gradual degeneration in patients until they are no longer able to perform basic bodily functions.
- Explains that parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder named after the english physician who first described it fully in 1817.
- Cites articles from the national academy of sciences, including an article about embryonic cells by curt freed.
- Explains how stem cells can be implanted in patients to regenerate or replace damaged or abnormal cells caused by diseases like parkinson's.
1174 wordsRead More - Neuroanalytical essayThe article Growth Factors and Feeder Cells Promote Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells into Dopaminergic Neurons: A Novel Role for Fibroblast Growth Factor-20 communicates the authors’ research into how dopaminergic neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can have their survival ameliorated. The context for this research is the use of hESCs as a source for dopaminergic neurons, which are used to treat Parkinson’s disease. The authors noted that research into this approach has numerous obstacles to overcome, such as low survival rates of dopaminergic neurons derived from hESC. Therefore, the authors utilized fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-20 to increase dopaminergic phenotype and to reduce cell death. The research indicated that this approach improved cell survival, such that the authors suggest this methodology can have a benefit for hESC therapeutic treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how growth factors and feedder cells promote differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into dopaminergic neurons, which are used to treat parkinson's disease.
- Explains that the article discusses the basal ganglia, a group of nuclei in the medial inferior area of the telencephalon, which help initiate voluntary movements.
- Explains that parkinson's diease is a disorder of the basal ganglia and is the destruction of substantia nigra pars compacta dompamine neurons.
- Analyzes how the article is motivated by the pragmatic possibilities of neuroscience, such as neuroscience being utilized for therapeutic treatments of parkinson's disease.
- Analyzes how the strength of the article is arguably in the rigor of its methodological approach.
- Opines that a review of the literature on the preference for hescs would make the article more scientifically accurate.
738 wordsRead More - The Etiology and Treatment of Parkinson Diseaseexplanatory essayParkinson Disease There exists a group of people who live the final years of their lives in glass boxes. They are perfectly capable of seeing outside, but incapable of reaching out to the world around them. Their emotions can not be shown through facial expression, and as their condition continues, speech also becomes difficult or even impossible. These people are men and women of all races and geographical areas, constituting one percent of the world’s population over 50 years old.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that parkinsonism is a group of people who live the final years of their lives in glass boxes. medications tame the symptoms and prolong life, but are incapable of reversing the disease progression.
- Explains that most signs and symptoms of parkinson disease correspond to one of three motor deficiencies: bradykinesia, akinesis and tremor.
- Explains that many parkinson patients feel they have a decrease in muscle strength. rigidity is defined as "resistance to passive movement" and is accompanied by an increased muscle tone.
- Explains that the most visible symptom of parkinson disease is tremor, usually beginning after bradykinesia and before rigidity. it is irritating to the patient and "carries with it undesirable connotations about the emotional stability of the individual."
- Analyzes the difficulty parkinson patients show in walking as a nice example of integrating many of the individual problems seen in the disease.
- Explains that parkinson disease suffers a variety of symptoms that are unrelated to the motor system, such as depression, dementia, and white matter lesions.
- Explains that parkinson disease causes autonomic dysfunction, gastrointestinal dysfunction and constipation, and hypotension. it is difficult to determine which symptoms are primary or secondary.
- Explains the hallmark neurological deficit of individuals suffering from parkinson disease is the degeneration of pigmented nerve cells in the substantia nigra.
- Explains that dopaminergic projections to the limbic system and frontal lobe of the cortex are postulated to play a role in akinesia and certain cognitive problems.
- Explains that parkinson patients' brains show degeneration of cells in the locus coeruleus of the midbrain, containing the transmitter norepinephrine.
- Opines that the majority of parkinson disease cases are idiopathic — there is a natural degeneration of neurons in the nigrostriatum, but not all elderly patients.
- Explains that no etiology to parkinson disease has yet been pinpointed, and there has been no way to reverse the degeneration of the substantia nigra. the most common treatment is levodopa alone or in combination with other drugs.
- Explains that levodopa is the immediate precursor for the dopamine which is missing in the nigrostriatum.
- Explains that levodopa has been found to be quite effective in reducing the signs and symptoms of parkinsonism, especially brady- and akinesia.
- Explains that there are more serious drawbacks to levodopa therapy: the on-off phenomenon and dyskinesia. these side effects are dosage dependent and time dependent.
- Explains that l-dopa is administered orally three or four times a day and its effect on the motor system is "all or nothing".
- Explains that high doses of l-dopa also carry increased risks, especially of dyskinesia, which can only be controlled by lowering dosage or stopping treatment altogether.
- Explains that there is no direct evidence to determine if levodopa contributes to disease progression, but there has been much research done to find an adequate substitute for or adjunct to it.
- Opines that parkinson's disease is a common neurological disorder among elderly patients, and that more investigation should be initiated into its etiology.
- Cites adams, raymond d., and m. victor. principles of neurology. mcgraw-hill information services co. new york, 1989.
- Explains korczyn, a. d., langston, j. w. and lees, aj.
2617 wordsRead More - Fetal Brain Tissue Transplantation in Parkinson's Disease Patientsexplanatory essayFetal Brain Tissue Transplantation in Parkinson's Disease Patients Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder characterized initially by muscular rigidity and slowing of voluntary movements (1). Ultimately, the characteristics are tremor, mask-like faces, decreased spontaneous blinking, flexion posture and sometimes cognitive impairment. The neuropathology of Parkinson's disease generally involves loss of cell bodies in all melanin-containing brain regions and invariably a loss of substantia nigra dopamine-containing neurons (DA). The principal target for dopaminergic neurons located in the substantia nigra is the striatum and the loss of dopaminergic tone in the striatum is thought to produce most of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Since Parkinson's disease is a dopamine deficiency, treatment with L-Dopa, the precursor of dopamine, was successful in treating Parkinson's patients (1).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder characterized by muscular rigidity and slowing of voluntary movements.
- Explains that treatment with l-dopa, the precursor of dopamine, was successful in treating parkinson's patients, but the drug effectiveness was lost in about 50% of the patients.
- Explains that work in amphibians and fish was the first to demonstrate the possibilities for neuronal replacement after damage in the central nervous system.
- Explains that a lesion of the nigrostriatal da pathway represents the most widely used model of parkinson's disease.
- Explains that grafting fetal central nervous tissue requires transplanting solid pieces of tissue to a surgically prepared transplantation cavity, and placing it in direct contact with the enervated striatum.
- Explains that nigrostriatal dopamine neurons survived well in dennervated rodents, but their fiber outgrowth in the surrounding host tissue varies markedly from one area to another.
- Explains that the compensation of motor asymmetry induced by solid nigral grafts was highly correlated to the degree of striatal reinnervation.
- Explains that da grafting has also been experimentally tested in aged rodents. aging can result in naturally occurring brain damage, with anatomic, biochemical and behavioral changes that appear substantial, yet selective.
- Evaluates the effectiveness of intracerebral grafts to lessen age-related impairments in motor and complex cognitive behaviors.
- Explains that the degree of functional recovery in da lesioned rats with nigral transplants is directly correlated with the extent of striatal
- Explains that the weaver homozygote mutant mouse can be used as a genetic model in the depletion of striatal dopamine and the effects of transplantation.
- Explains that parkinson signs were produced in african green monkeys by the administration of a neurotoxin, and fetal neurons from the substantia nigra were transplanted into the monkey.
- Explains how lindvall et al transplanted ventral mesencephalic tissues from an aborted human embryo into the caudate and putamen of a man with parkinson's disease.
- Explains that patients receiving adrenal medulla transplants have not been as successful. adrenal medullary tissue was transplanted into the caudate nucleus of 3 patients with advanced parkinson's disease.
- Opines that transplanting fetal brain tissue into the host has been successful in resolving the symptomology of parkinson's disease in animals. however, success of human studies has not been as promising.
- Summarizes wyatt, morihisa, nakamura and freed's work on neuropeptides in neurologic and psychiatric disease.
- Explains that transplantation of fetal dopamine neurons in primate brain reverses mptp induced parkinsonism.
- Explains how human fetal dopamine neurons grafted into the striatum in two patients with severe parkinson's disease.
- Cites freed, c.r, breeze, r.e, rosenberg, n.l., and schneck, s.a. for their work on transplantation of human fetal dopamine cells for parkinson's disease.
- Explains that allen, burns, tulipan, and parker, r.a., 1989, adrenal medullary transplantation to the caudate nucleus in parkinson's disease.
1852 wordsRead More - Parkinson's Disease and Tissue Transplantsargumentative essayFor nearly 100 years neural tissue has been transplanted in animals. Transplantation of neural tissue into humans, however, began only a few years ago (1). It has been found in animals, that fetal brain grafts in damaged adult host brains reduce some of the functional deficits caused by brain lesions. Even though some neurons from the transplanted tissue survive and develop reciprocal connections with host brain tissue, this is not enough to completely replace damaged fibers and support behavioral recovery Usually the grafts will not develop a normal morphological appearance, but some metabolic activity can be found within the transplant. Release and diffusion of trophic substances from the transplant and the damaged host brain may partially restore neuronal and behavioral functions. It is hypothesized that this combination of fetal brain transplants and trophic substances may provide a better opportunity for recovery than either treatment given by itself. While this paper focuses on fetal brain grafts as a means to treat Parkinsonism, research is also being conducted in conjunction with Alzheimer’s Disease, visual, frontal, and motor cortex lesions, hippocampal lesions, and many others (2,3)
In this essay, the author
- Explains that fetal brain grafts in damaged adult brains reduce some of the functional deficits caused by brain lesions. release and diffusion of trophic substances from the transplant may partially restore neuronal and behavioral functions.
- Explains that there are two current approaches to neural transplantation regarding parkinson s; adrenal medullary and fetal brain grafts. both methods suffer from limitations in tissue availability, cellular uniformity, and general applicability.
- Explains that a new technique has been devised to overcome these limitations by transplanting with temperature-sensitive immortalized clonal neural cells.
- Explains that primary rat central nervous system cells were immortalized with a temperature-sensitive rous sarcoma virus, cloned, and previously analyzed for neural and glial characteristics.
- Describes the theoretical advantages of a temperature-sensitive cell system, including unlimited availability of cells and application to any transmitter system.
- Explains that prior autopsy reports on patients with parkinson's disease who received adrenal medulla to caudate nucleus transplants have described short-term survival times and no, or minimal clinical benefit. hirsch described an enhanced host-derived tyrosine hydroxylase fiber network.
- Describes kordower's case of the longest surviving and most improved transplant patient, a 48-year-old white male who had been diagnosed with parkinson’s for 15 years prior to the transplant.
- Compares the th-immunoreactive neurons within the medial substantia nigra above the cerebral peduncle with the higher-power photomicrographs.
- Describes how the patient's adrenal medulla was removed and replaced in a pocket in the caudate nucleus. the percentage of "off time" decreased steadily and his motor function began to decline.
- Explains that an autopsy of the brain showed a significant amount of melanin containing neurons bilaterally within the pars compacts region. the tyrosine hydroxylase staining confirmed the presence of numerous dopamine-containing cells.
- Opines that because fetal grafts are so controversial, it is hoped that the adrenal transplant method can be worked out.
- Explains that dissociated intraparenchymal, intracavity, or intraventricular grafts of fetal substantia nigra to dopamine-denervated striatum can restore behavioral dysfunctions.
- Explains that fetal grafts are controversial because of cell differentiation and tumor development. they have been able to transfer cells into the adult brain for many years, but if one cell does not differentiate properly, a tumor will develop.
- Argues that fetal material should be considered viable research material for many reasons. fetal research will have no bearing on the number of abortions done each year in this country.
- Explains that postmortem analysis of adrenal -medulla-to-caudate autograft in a patient with parkinson's disease.
- Describes the results of neurotransplantation using temperature-sensitive immortalized neural cells. hirsch, e. c., kordower, j. h.
1437 wordsRead More - Parkinsons Disease: The Cause And Symptoms Of Parkinson's Diseaseexplanatory essayHave you or anyone in your family experienced unusual tremors in your head or any part
In this essay, the author
- Explains parkinson's disease has become a major part of the us population with more than 200,000 cases per year.
- Describes a disorder that involves the malfunction and death of vital nerve cells in the brain called neurons.
- Explains the four key symptoms of parkinson's disease are tremors of the hands, arms, legs, or legs.
- Explains that lab tests or imaging are often required to determine treatment. it's chronic.
- Explains that comt mildly prolongs the effect of levodopa therapy by blocking an effect.
- Explains that research shows that caffine, which is found in coffee, tea, and cola, may reduce the risks.
- Explains that if you or anyone in your family experienced unusual tremors in their head or any part of their body, you may be experiencing the intial effects of parkinson's disease.
- Explains that there is no cure for parkinson's disease, but treatment is available.
- Explains that surgery could help but it also involves risks such as infections, stroke which could lead to death, or brain hemorrhage.
- Opines that caffine reduces the risk of developing the disease. living a healthy life and staying stress-free could decrease the chances.
- Explains that parkinson's disease is a chronic illness and that it is difficult to live with it. patients with the illness develop depression and may need therapy and/or antidepressants to help them feel at ease.
773 wordsRead More - The Pros And Cons Of Cloningargumentative essayFirstly, therapeutic cloning has numerous advantages in curing serious diseases by transplanting healthy cells derived from patient’s own bodies to replace the diseased tissue or organ, as well as medical research. One of the benefits is that it can treat a number of diseases, i.e. cancer, heart disease, burns and Parkinson’s disease. Lindvall (et al., 2011) reports that in 2008, scientists at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have successfully treated mice which had a condition like Parkinson’s disease, with cloned embryonic stem cells injecting to mice’s brains. In addition, this technology can avoid rejection reaction. Camporesi and Bortolotti (2009) explain that if transplanted cells are derived from the patient, as opposed to a donor, the cells will not be attacked by the patient’s immune system as foreign material so that patient will not suffer adverse effects brought by immune-suppr...
In this essay, the author
- Introduces two major benefits of human cloning on disease therapy and analyses two arguments against it on safety and ethical issues.
- Explains that therapeutic cloning has numerous advantages in curing serious diseases by transplanting healthy cells derived from patient’s bodies to replace the diseased tissue or organ.
- Concludes that somatic cells culture involves a complicated framework, such as proliferation and differentiation, and any link in the whole process can negatively influence the effectiveness of the target product.
- Explains how in-vitro propagation and somatic cell nuclear transfer (scnt) cloning can help infertile people to have a baby.
- Argues that productive cloning has aroused public concerns about safety risks and ethical issues.
- Concludes that the development of cloning technology has raised public concerns about security risks due to high failure and malformation rate, and ethical issues about dignity.
929 wordsRead More - Brain Transplant: An End to Parkinsonism?analytical essayThe Modern Day Brain Transplant:An End to Parkinsonism or the Beginning of a Greater Debate?
In this essay, the author
- Opines that despite the setbacks in the field of neural transplants, research into the plausibility of alleviating or even reversing parkinsonism is necessary.
- Analyzes how lisa cahill's paper on the use of stem cells raises questions about whether the end justifyes the means.
- Argues that the media has proclaimed research into the use of fetal and stem cells as a fountain of youth.
- Explains that pace, brian, and richard m. glass. "parkinson disease." the journal of the american medical association.
- Cites weber, wim & james butcher, "doubt over cell therapy for parkinson's disease." the lancet vol. 257, issue 9259.
- States freed, curt, et al. transplantation of embryonic dopamine neurons for severe parkinson's disease.
- Analyzes how time magazine, the parkinson's experiment, had everything: aborted fetuses, sham surgery, desperate patients-and then it went awry.
- States that parkinson's action network urges aggressive pursuit of research in cell transplantation.
- Explains business week's "rebuilding the brain" issue 3615, p 78.
- Reports a "new setback reported in treatment for parkinson's disease in u.s.
- Explains friedrich, m.j., "fetal pig neural cells for parkinson disease." jama, vol. 282, no. 23.
- Cites new england journal of medicine's editorial on cell therapy for parkinsons' disease, vol. 344, no. 10.
- Cites mcgovern, celeste, and alberta report on neurology: fatal outcome of fetal tissue transplant
- Explains that sources can be located online, but require registration of a username and password on the site or via infotrac.
- Explains that 15% of patients had recurrent dyskinesias even after reducing levodopa treatment, which may have been caused by continued outgrowth from the transplant.
- Explains that parkinson's disease is a late onset disorder that results from the depletion of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the basal ganglia.
- Argues that the linkage between abortion and cell transplantation in humans is not necessary or even desirable.
- Disagrees with dr. prentice's claim that stem cell research perpetuates the notion that biomedical techniques are an unbounded and unassailable force for good.
- Analyzes cahill, lisa sowle's "stem cells: a bioethical balancing act: the moral issues are not limited to the safety of embryos." america vol 184, no.10.
3590 wordsRead More - Embryonic Stem Cell Argumentative Essayexplanatory essayEvery year countless people are diagnosed with cell based diseases, 7.6 million a year alone receive the petrifying news that they have cancer. But what if we could eliminate the idea that a cancerous diagnosis is the equivalent of a death sentence? The use of embryonic stem cells could, for the first time, make diseases like cancer or parkinson a non-issue. This is why the use of embryonic stem cells should not be viewed as unethical but rather a huge step towards unthinkable medical breakthroughs and the eradication of life threatening diseases.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the use of embryonic stem cells could eliminate the idea that a cancerous diagnosis is the equivalent of death sentence.
- Explains that in vitro fertilization is the process by which stem cells result. they can self-renew, go through the cell cycle repeatedly, and are unspecialized.
- Explains that embryonic stem cells are unspecialized and pluripotent, meaning they can give rise to any of the body's 220 different types of cells.
- Explains that embryonic stem cells are not being manipulated, but somatic stems can be found in children, infants, and matured organs. they can self-renew and are versatile.
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