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Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Brain-Healing Nanotechnology

Continued from page 1

By Kevin Bullis
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The success of the treatment is somewhat surprising, because the chemicals that stimulate nerve growth and stem cells used in other research into nerve tissue regeneration were not used here. "They just used the peptides and the cells reconnect with the target, and then the functional behavior can be seen in the animals -- that's amazing to me," says Tat Fong Ng, an investigator at the Harvard-affiliated Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston.

Ng wonders whether adding such chemicals and cells to the treatment might speed growth, perhaps making it possible to reconnect distant parts of the brain separated by an injury, such as in a stroke. The researchers say this might be done by forming a path through a damaged area using minimally invasive surgery and injecting the amino acid chains, which would then assemble into the fibers. The channel would both allow nerve cells to grow and guide them to the right area.

So far, the nanofiber treatment has caused no problems, such as inflammation or aggregation of fibers, in small animals. Over a few weeks, the fibers break down and leave the body in the urine. As building blocks for proteins, the amino acids might even be used for new cell growth, the researchers say. Also, because the fibers are made of natural amino acids that the body can use, the researchers are optimistic that no reaction against them will occur in studies with large animals and humans.

Ed Tehovnik, a neuroscientist at MIT who was not involved with the work, says it has "quite a lot of promise," adding that it "may only be the start. There could be other types of nano-agents that [the MIT researchers] develop that could promote growth even better. I see this as the beginning, not the end, which is a good thing."

Home page image courtesy of the National Academy of Sciences. Caption: Nerve cell regrowth (in green) shows a damaged area of the brain that has been repaired.
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Comments

  • Further Sources?
    Guest (Yasemin Gokce) on 03/14/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    I wonder if anybody could give me the PubMed article number of this research?

    Thank you.
    Rate this comment: 12345
    • doi number
      Guest (Julie Ellis-Behnke) on 03/14/2006 at 12:00 AM
      Posts:
      1
      The paper will be published online later this week and will have free access. The doi number will be 10.1073/pnas.0600559103.
      Rate this comment: 12345
  • Cerebral Palsy
    Guest (Bob C.) on 03/24/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    Would this technology have applications toward healing erebral palsy? Is the cause for the scramled signals to the muscles in the brain or the spinal cord? Thank you.
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • Nanotechnology
    Guest (Mike Harvey) on 03/30/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    My 2yr old daughter had a brain aneryisum April 05 and is in recovery. High ICP's caused vasospasiums (which no one told us at the time). I'm glad to read about amino acids/peptids are helping the restoration of the brain. I believe more focus should be put into natural cures then continuing to mask the problem with medications that don't cure. Thank you.
    Rate this comment: 12345
    • your problem
      Guest (marcellus bradettusw ) on 07/07/2006 at 12:00 AM
      Posts:
      1
      it is always difficult to talk to a father or mother when a child is sick, there is also difficult to says that, genetic is a fact and two individuals who are together mix genetics part of each other and nowadays it is possible to give to life a chance and also to his future children help yourself and look in science and other ways. the research is yours.
      Rate this comment: 12345
  • Brain cell "Re-activision".
    Guest (George J. Ayers) on 04/22/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    This could be the end of my suffering from brainstem strokes for11 years. And the opening of a whole new world!
    Rate this comment: 12345
    • re-activision
      Guest (my friend) on 07/07/2006 at 12:00 AM
      Posts:
      1
      the case is now and was always in your brain there is a way to begin a new life go in the desert and with water and little supply meditated and in one week or two this problem will be past
      Rate this comment: 12345
  • thats good news
    Guest (kapil) on 05/08/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    i am half blind from birth, i am waiting my whole life to see this beautiful earth in its full swing,hope nanotechnology has the power to chane every1s life for the better things.....
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • nano cure for blindness?
    Guest (kapil) on 05/08/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    well, i am just looking for nano medicines to arrive ..... so that each and every 1 of us can benifit from it....... for a half blind person like me, its more than a gift to have my vision restored , so that i could see this beautiful world in its big swing..
    Rate this comment: 12345
  • Cure for the stroke
    Guest (Stev e j) on 05/24/2006 at 12:00 AM
    Posts:
    1
    it may be that they have found a step that may lead to a cure for the stroke... which im waiting on.... anytime i hear something that big it gives me hope
    Rate this comment: 12345
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