Scientists Able to Recreate Spinal Muscular Atrophy Cells in Laboratory
Author: tiger Published Under: Health
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin Madison have found a way to recreate Spinal Muscular Atrophy in a laboratory setting.
Led by Clive Svendsen, researchers were able to take skin samples from a child with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and use them to create stem cells and nerve cells that carry the disease. This allows them to observe how the disease works and could potentially help discover a way of treating this disease.
One of the reasons that this is such an important step is that up researchers have not had a reliable way of observing the disease, with the exception of studying people who were effected. This is because SMA affects animals differently than it effects people.
Due to the nature of the disease, it is thought that gene replacement might be an effective way to treat SMA and this theory is being tested in animals. However,
The technique used to create the stem cells and nerve sells is also very exciting and relatively new. It involves taking the skin cells and turning them into induced pluripotent stem cells, which closely mimic the functions of the naturally occurring stem cells used in the womb.
Induced pluripotent stem cells are believed to be able to be used to create any of the different cell types found in the body. In this case, the process is used to turn skin cells into stem and nerve cells. First discovered and reported in 2006, the process of creating induced pluripotent stem cells has been hailed as one of the most important discoveries in stem cell research.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA, is a disease that causes weakness in the body as a result of a genetic mutation. It can cause weakness of the muscles, underdeveloped muscle tone, weakness of the arms and legs, and problems swallowing. It quite often manifests itself in children and results in death, but this depends on the severity of the disorder. SMA effects the body, but does not typically effect the mind or sexual functions.
There are several different types of SMA, but it is usually caused by a mutation of the survival motor neuron, which is a protein found in the body. SMA caused by a malformed survival motor neuron occurs in about 1 out of 6000 people, but about 1 in 40 people are carriers. SMA is the leading cause of genetically related neonatal death.