Oct. 15, 2012 A new method of using adult stem cells as a model
for the hereditary condition Gaucher disease could help
accelerate the discovery of new, more effective therapies for
this and other conditions such as Parkinson's, according to new
research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine
reprogrammed stem cells to develop into cells that are
genetically similar to and react to drugs in a similar way as
cells from patients with Gaucher disease. The stem cells will
allow the scientists to test potential new therapies in a dish,
accelerating the process toward drug discovery, according to the
paper published online in the journal the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on Oct. 15. "We have created
a model for all three types of Gaucher disease, and used stem
cell-based tests to evaluate the effectiveness of therapies,"
says senior author Ricardo Feldman, Ph.D., associate professor
of microbiology and immunology at th