Stem Cells

Stem cells may provide an important new approach in the understanding and treatment of neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The brain, unlike some other body organs such as the skin or the liver, has very little capacity to regenerate through cell multiplication. Brain nerve cells (neurons) are created during human embryonic development. In adults, neurons that have died or degenerated due to disease such as AD are not easily replaced.

Recent scientific advances have led to the isolation of human stem cells that can transform into neurons. Generally derived from microscopic just-formed early human embryos, stem cells can multiply and transform into specialized cells of different types, including neurons, under the right conditions. There is much interest in the possibility of replacing neurons lost to disease by means of stem cell transplants. In animals, stem cells have been successfully transplanted into the brain, where they have transformed into neurons with apparently normal location and function.

Stem cells seem a particularly promising avenue of investigation for potential treatment of neurological disorders involving losses of particular discrete groups of nervous system cells. This sort of cell loss occurs in spinal cord trauma, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and Parkinson’s disease. AD involves more widespread loss of nerve cells, but in the early stages certain brain regions are particularly affected. Thus even in AD, judicious and properly timed replacement of degenerating neurons with stem cells might have significant benefit.

Research using stem cells also makes it possible to study the molecular mechanisms of disease that may lead to other therapies. Further biomedical scientific study of stem cells should provide more evidence of their potential value. Laboratory research and animal studies are essential steps in the development of clinically effective treatments, so unfortunately it may be years before a clinical benefit from stem cell treatments can be realized.

The Alzheimer’s Association policy, adopted in June 2004 by the national Board of Directors, states that “in keeping with its mission to eliminate AD, the Alzheimer’s Association opposes any restriction or limitation on human stem cell research, provided that appropriate scientific review and ethical and oversight guidelines are in place.” While the Alzheimer’s Association is not currently funding any human stem cell research, this reflects that this avenue of investigation is not currently a priority in the Alzheimer’s research community. The Association supports all legitimate scientific avenues that offer the potential to effectively treat, prevent, and cure AD, and to improve care for those with the disease, within appropriate boundaries. As with any research area, it may become clear that stem cell research will assist in developing new treatments for AD, making it a likely area for support from the Association.

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