McLaughlin grant to aid stem cell research

McLaughlin Research Institute http://www.montana.edu/wwwmri/ will study whether human stem cells can survive in mice, a possible step toward treating Alzheimer’s disease.

By RICHARD ECKE
Tribune Staff Writer

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041009/NEWS01/410090303/1002

A California company, StemCells Inc., and McLaughlin on Friday announced a $465,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health. The money will help support research by George Carlson, director and senior scientist at McLaughlin.

StemCells Inc.’s founder and director is Dr. Irving Weissman, a Great Falls native who serves on McLaughlin’s scientific advisory board and who was in Great Falls on Friday.

The federal grant was awarded to StemCells Inc., but the study will be a collaboration between StemCells Inc., which will provide neural stem cells, and McLaughlin, which will study how the stem cells react in mice.

Carlson’s research could help determine the "feasibility and utility" of using adult stem cells to treat people, a McLaughlin statement said. If the stem cells survive inside the mice, the chances for using nerve stem cells for therapies in humans would be enhanced.

"They have to be able to survive in their environment," Carlson said at a news conference.

"These stem cells will be used to further the work done to date that suggests enormous potential for our stem cell technology, understanding and potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease," Weissman said.

The grant will be used to "expand research that we’ve already started," Carlson added. Carlson’s research has focused on using mice to study degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, and prion diseases such as mad cow disease.

Alzheimer’s disease, which affects 4.5 million Americans, is a complex disease that causes brain cells to degenerate.

Scientists hope stem cells, primitive cells in the body, can be used to help repair damage caused by various diseases. StemCells Inc. hopes to use cells to treat diseases of the central nervous system, liver and pancreas.

In a talk at McLaughlin on Friday, Weissman said stem cell research is progressing.

"We’ve treated over 70 patients with their blood-forming stem cells … and we’re going to do a lot more," he said.

At the same time, Weissman said he is losing enthusiasm for the ambitious notion that human stem cells can be used to easily form new body parts, such as livers, hearts or lungs, for patients who need them.

"We’ve done every one of the experiments," he said. "And we can’t turn brain into blood and blood into brain."

In any case, Weissman said he believes stem cell treatments show great potential.

Ecke can be reached by e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at (406) 791-1467 or (800) 438-6600.

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StemCells Technology Furthers Research into Alzheimer’s Disease

Contact: David Crum

Assistant Director for Operations & Development

McLaughlin Research Institute

1520 23 Street South

Great Falls, MT 59405

406-454-6009

McLaughlin Research Institute and StemCells, Inc. announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a new grant focusing on the use of the StemCell’s proprietary human neural stem cells. StemCells was awarded a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant for approximately $465,000 over one and a half years for studies in Alzheimer’s disease to be conducted by Dr. George A. Carlson of the McLaughlin Research Institute. This NIH grant will continue an established collaboration between StemCells and Dr. Carlson.

“Our role is to support these studies with the highest quality human central nervous system stem cells available, which we have successfully identified, purified and characterized using our proprietary library of monoclonal antibodies,” said Irving Weissman, MD, Founder and Scientific Director of StemCells, Inc. “Our stem cells will be used to further the work done to date that suggests enormous potential for our stem cell technology in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Much research remains to be done and we are very pleased that the NIH has recognized the importance of this research with this highly prestigious grant.”

Dr. Carlson’s work testing human central nervous system stem cells (hCNS-SC) in mouse models for Alzheimer’s disease therapy could determine the feasibility and utility of treatment using neural cell transplants. StemCells Inc. has been working with Dr. Carlson over the past few years to develop the necessary animal models and reagents for this study. The model is an immunodeficient transgenic mouse that over-expresses the human A-beta peptide, which accumulates and forms amyloid plaques. This phenomenon is also seen in Alzheimer’s patients. The mouse model therefore should provide a meaningful opportunity to study the effect of transplanted human neural cells in an environment where the human A-beta peptide is being over-expressed in the brains of mice.

“We are excited to expand our collaboration with Dr. Weissman and StemCells Inc. to further Alzheimer’s disease research” stated George Carlson, Ph.D., Director and Senior Scientist at McLaughlin Research Institute.

About Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s is a complex, fatal disease involving progressive cell degeneration, beginning with the loss of brain cells that control thought, memory and language. The disease, which currently has no cure, was first described in 1906 by German physician Dr. Alois Alzheimer, who discovered amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain of a woman who died of an unusual mental illness. Today these tangles and plaques are considered hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, which is the leading cause of dementia and currently affects approximately 4.5 million Americans.

About George Carlson

George Carlson has been Director of the McLaughlin Research Institute since 1989. His research over the past 20 years has focused on using mouse genetics to understand degenerative brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and transmissible prion diseases. Prions are the novel infectious pathogens responsible for mad cow disease and related disorders in humans.

About Irving Weissman

Irving Weissman, MD, professor of Cancer Biology, Pathology and Developmental Biology at Stanford University is a founder of StemCells Inc. Dr. Weissman’s research encompasses the developmental biology, self-renewal, homing, and functions of the cells that make up the blood-forming and immune systems. His main focus for the last several years has been the purification, biology, transplantation, and evolution of stem cells. Dr. Weissman is a strong supporter of McLaughlin Research Institute and currently serves as Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee and is a member of the Board and National Development Council.

About StemCells, Inc.

StemCells is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of stem cell-based therapies to treat diseases of the central nervous system, liver, and pancreas. The Company’s stem cell programs seek to repair or repopulate neural or other tissue that has been damaged or lost as a result of disease or injury. Further information about the Company is available on its web site, at: .

About McLaughlin Research Institute

McLaughlin Research Institute in Great Falls, Montana is an independent non-profit research organization dedicated to understanding the genetic susceptibility to disease for the betterment of human health. In addition to its research mission, the Institute also serves as an educational resource for the region through its alliance with Benefis Healthcare, and offers research training for the next generation of scientists. More information of the Institute and its programs is available on its web site at: http://www.montana.edu/wwwmri
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