The breakthrough discovery solves a known problem for scientists working on reprogramming cells, one of the most promising areas of regenerative medicine.
Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys have identified a group of proteins that may be the secret to cell reprogramming. This is a new approach in regenerative medicine in which scientists transform cells to repair damaged body tissues. Researchers were able to reprogram damaged heart cells to repair heart damage in mice after a heart attack. The findings, published in Nature Communications, have the potential to change the way many diseases are treated, including cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease and neuromuscular disease.
“Even if a person survives a heart attack, there may be long-term damage to the heart that increases the risk of heart problems in the future,” said lead author Alexandre Colas, Ph.D., assistant professor of development. increase. , Sanford Burnham Prebys Aging and Regeneration Program. “Although helping the heart heal after injury is an important medical need in itself, these findings also pave the way for broader applications of cellular reprogramming in medicine.”
Each of our cells has the same number of genes (about 20,000), but cells can choose which genes to turn ‘on’ or ‘off’ to change their appearance and function. . This is the basis of cell reprogramming.
“Theoretically, reprogramming cells could allow us to control the activity and appearance of any cell,” says Colas. “While this concept has great implications in helping the body self-renew, barriers to reprogramming mechanisms have prevented the science from moving from the laboratory to the clinic.”
The researchers identified a group of four proteins named AJSZ that could help solve this problem.
“By blocking the activity of these proteins, we were able to reduce scarring in the hearts of mice with heart attacks and improve overall cardiac function by 50%,” Colas said.
Although the researchers focused primarily on cardiac cells, we determined that AJSZ is universal to all cell types. This suggests that targeting AJSZ may be a promising therapeutic approach for various human diseases.
“This helps us solve a very big problem that many researchers are interested in,” says Colas. “More importantly, this breakthrough is an important step towards turning these promising biological concepts into real treatments.”
The next step in translating their findings into potential therapeutics is to explore different ways to block the function of the AJSZ protein. According to Colas, the most promising option is to use small-molecule drugs to block the activity of his AJSZ.
“We need to find a way to inhibit these proteins in a way that we can control to reprogram only the cells that need it,” says Colas. “In the coming months, we plan to screen drugs that could help inhibit these proteins in a controlled and selective manner.”
Original: Heart attack research could change the game in regenerative medicine
Than: Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
