The secret life of stem cells

The Stem Cells and Neural Development laboratory, headed by Associate Professor Clare Parish, wants to repair the injured brain by understanding brain development. Their idea is that to treat degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, or damage after stroke, the brain will need to replay early developmental stages.

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Turning stem cells into brain cells

Human pluripotent stem cells are a valuable resource in regenerative medicine. These cells are available in unlimited supply and can be made into any cell type in the body – when given the right instructions. Associate Professor Clare Parish’s lab specialises in turning these cells into brain cells that contain dopamine – the type of cells that die in Parkinson’s disease. Clare’s team is working towards a clinical trial to test whether injecting these cells into Parkinson’s patient’s brains can treat their symptoms.

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Purifying cells for transplantation

The lab is expert at turning stem cells into dopamine-containing brain cells, but the final sample of cells needs to be absolutely 100 per cent pure. Any contaminating stem cells could develop into a tumour or other rogue cell type, which can have negative impacts if implanted into a patient’s brain. The lab is developing ways to eliminate the unwanted cells (red) and only transplant the ‘good’ dopamine cells (green).

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Sca folds for brain repair

Much like an underground train station needs reinforcing beams and struts to hold the roof up, the injected brain cells need a scafold to support their growth while they knit into the surrounding brain tissue. Clare’s group is engineering unique gels that provide structural support and also deliver ‘fertilisers’ to the cells to help them survive and function at their optimal level in the brain. These scafold gels are being tested for Parkinson’s disease and stroke.

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Tracing new connections

To test if their cell transplantation techniques work, the team adds coloured tags to their stem cells that enable them to trace the connections the grafted cells (yellow) make with the host brain. This allows them to confirm that the graft is healthy, contains the right cell types and makes the appropriate connections in the brain that lead to optimal functioning.