Free Republic

SAN DIEGO – Sometimes, scientific breakthroughs occur when researchers aren’t exactly looking for them. While attempting to better understand the function of a protein in connective tissue cells, UC San Diego School of Medicine scientists found a way to transform multiple types of cells into neurons. This discovery has led to the development of a treatment that eliminates symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in mice. The protein researchers were studying, called PTB, is known for its general role in activating or deactivating genes within a cell. In an attempt to better understand how PTB contributes to cell function, researchers silenced the...

A GENETICALLY modified virus that kills cancer cells and destroys their hiding places has been developed by British scientists. It targets both cancer cells and healthy cells that are tricked into protecting the cancer from the immune system. Fibroblasts, the most common type of cell in connective tissues, are vital in the body's healing process, but they can get hijacked by cancer-associated fibroblasts or CAFs. These then help tumours grow, spread and evade therapy. The new treatment, a form of immunotherapy developed by Oxford University scientists, attacks carcinomas - the most ­common type of cancer. Currently, any therapy that kills...

A TREATMENT for balding men, women with stretchmarks and anyone who has gum disease may have been discovered by scientists. As cure-alls go, an injection of fibroblasts may be the ultimate. The new technology is being developing by Isolagen, a Texas-based biotech company, and 50 patients are to undergo clincial trials in London. Fibroblasts are tiny cells that control levels of the proteins collagen and elastin, which are found in skin, bones and other tissue. To treat burns, the scientists take cells from an undamaged area, extract the fibroblasts and multiply them in the laboratory before injecting them back into...