A new method of generating mature nerve cells could greatly enhance understanding of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

New research coming out of Cambridge University that could advance understanding of diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s is being commercialised by Cambridge Enterprise, Cambridge University’s technology transfer company. A company name for the spin-out was not announced. 

Funded by the Medical Research Council and the Rosetrees Trust, the findings of the research, led by Anna Philpott from the Department of Oncology, will be published in the May 27 edition of the journal Development. The technique works by generating mature nerve cells from skin cells by speeding up the cellular process through which human cells mature. These nerve cells then show the same functional characteristics found in the body, making them good models for the study of neurodegenerative, age-related diseases and for the study of new drugs targeting them. It is hoped that, eventually, the process could also be used to transplant these mature nerve cells into patients.

Stem cells are the body’s master cells, which can develop into almost any cell type. Recent breakthroughs have allowed researches to add a group of protein which can be found in human tissue throughout the body – known as transcription factors – to skin cells, and reprogram them. However, the yield has so far been low by using this process, and the cells act like cells from embryos: a problem that Philpott’s team has now been able to solve, making the cells viable for the aforementioned research.

The technology could accelerate the development of new drugs and stem cell-based regenerative medicine. Philpott is already thinking further, and has begun using similar methods to improve the function of insulin-producing pancreas cells for future therapeutic applications.

Anna Philpott said: “In order to increase our understanding of diseases like Alzheimer’s, we need to be able to work with cells that look and behave like those you would see in older individuals who have developed the disease, so producing more ‘adult’ cells after reprogramming is really important.”