Scientists Develop Stem Cell Strategy Against Parkinson’s Disease Without Transplant

By Joana Fernandes,Phd

Researchers have developed a new approach using stem cells to treat Parkinson’s disease while avoiding the negative consequences of other stem cell therapies, according to two studies conducted by researcher Leo Behie, from the University of Calgary, in Canada, and collaborators in Portugal.

The newly developed technique shows promise for novel therapeutic opportunities in the future.

One of the studies, “Modulation of the Mesenchymal Stem Cell Secretome Using Computer-Controlled Bioreactors: Impact on Neuronal Cell Proliferation, Survival and Differentiation,” was published in the journalScientific Reports. The other, “Impact of the Secretome of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Brain Structure and Animal Behavior in a Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease,” was published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the loss of certain types of neurons in the brain, which negatively affects neuronal communication and makes the body unable to control movement. There is currently no cure for the disease, but several researchers have investigated the potential benefits of stem cell technology.

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that originate all other cell types in the body, including neurons. Stem cells can be stimulated to become the type of neurons that become affected by Parkinson’s and can potentially be transplanted into the patient’s brain, where they would replace the dying neurons.

But in order to make the person’s immune system accept the transplant, patients must take powerful immunosuppressants that leave their bodies susceptible to other diseases.

Behie and the other two leading authors of the studies, António Salgado and Nuno Sousa, developed a new strategy that shows potential as a treatment for Parkinson’s and other diseases affecting the nervous system — but does not require a stem cell transplant.

The scientists used computer-controlled bioreactors to multiply a type of human stem cells, called mesenchymal stem cells, that are found in bone marrow. The cells respond to the environment that surrounds them and, when injected into the brains of mice with Parkinson’s disease, successfully became mature neurons and allowed for the physical recovery of the animals.

“When the [cells are] introduced into the [Parkinson’s] brain, there is a powerful result,” Behie said in a news release. “We were able to show that the injured brains regenerated new neurons.”

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Together, the results raise the possibility that human mesenchymal stem cells can be implanted into the human brain, with no need for transplants or to suppress the immune system.