News archive 2010

Stem cell programme into Motor Neurone Disease

24 May 2010, PR 117/10

Scientists at King's are working on the first ever stem cell research programme into Motor Neurone Disease. Recent advances in stem cell research mean it is now possible to generate human motor neurons from donor skin cells in order to study the processes at work in health and disease.

The project funded by The Motor Neurone Disease Association will bring together world-class expertise from four leading researchers:  Professor Christopher Shaw from King’s, Professor Siddharthan Chandran and Professor Sir Ian Wilmut from the University of Edinburgh and Professor Tom Maniatis of Columbia University New York.

The ability to grow and programme human motor neurons in the laboratory has been a holy grail for MND researchers for many years.

Christopher Shaw, Professor of Neurology and Neurogenetics at King's comments: 'Pharmaceutical companies have drug libraries containing millions of potentially useful compounds and yet we can only test a handful of these in clinical trials every year. Our goal is to grow motor neurons from patient skin cells in order to identify which drugs can slow or reverse the disease process.  It will be a huge challenge, but if we are successful it will be a great step forward in advancing drug discovery.'

MND kills five people everyday in the UK. Life expectancy for those with MND is short - around two to five years and around half of those diagnosed with MND die within 14 months. This cruel condition leaves people trapped in a failing body unable to walk, talk or feed themselves. There is no cure and no effective treatment. The cause of the disease is only known in 5% of all cases. Therefore the need to unlock the secrets of this devastating disease and progress research is imperative.

The principal aim of the £800,000 three-year programme is to develop and characterise human brain cells, derived from the skin cells of MND patients with the hereditary TDP-43 form of the disease and also from ‘control’ donors who do not have MND and carry the normal TDP-43 gene.

 The TDP-43 gene appears to be a direct cause of MND in around 1 per cent of cases but the protein that the gene produces is found in up to 90 per cent of MND cases. This discovery has been described as ‘a seismic shift’ in understanding the disease, as it points to TDP-43 playing a pivotal role in many forms of MND. The TDP-43 protein has also been implicated in other conditions - in particular some forms of dementia - so it may prove to play a contributory role in a wider number of neurodegenerative diseases. (For further information on TDP-43 and its role in this programme please see the background briefing paper.)

The skin cells are initially ‘reprogrammed’ to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) which are very similar to stem cells derived from human embryos. The iPS cells can then be induced to turn into either of the two main cell types known to be involved in the disease: the motor neurons which degenerate in MND; and other vital support cells called astrocytes.

Although it is the motor neurons that die in MND, it is known that the disease is not solely restricted to these cells. The support cells that normally play a role in nurturing motor neurons can inadvertently cause damage, and it is through this mechanism that scientists believe that the disease spreads from one part of the brain and spine to the next.

The research will address a fundamental question of whether the support cells from healthy or TDP-43 mutant gene carrying patients are injurious or protective to motor neurons. In addition, experiments growing motor neurons and support cells from different donors in the same dish (a process called ‘co-culture’) will address whether this disease spread seen in the human condition can be reproduced in the laboratory. 

Dr Brian Dickie, Director of Research Development at the Motor Neurone Disease Assoication concludes: 'This is a highly promising field of research to help increase our understanding of this disease. The outcomes from our programme will have a powerful impact in shaping the future of motor neuron disease research and enhancing future international research collaboration. Only by working together across the globe will we achieve our goal of truly defeating motor neuron disease.'



Notes to editors

King's College London
King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher Education 2009) and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has nearly 23,000 students (of whom more than 8,600 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and some 5,500 employees. King's is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.

King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly £450 million.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe; no university has more Medical Research Council Centres.

King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org.



Further information
Kate Moore, Public Relations Officer (Health)
Public Relations Department
Email: kate.moore@kcl.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7848 4334



Next:
King’s business plan competition launched
Honorary Fellow wins Nobel Literature Prize
King's contributes to WHO Intervention Guidelines
Nightingale app previewed
Free radicals shown to protect the heart

Previous:
King’s researcher receives Austrian Award
Professor Robin Murray elected FRS
Dementia opera world premiere
Oxytocin: the social molecule?
UKCRC recognises clinical trials expertise at IoP


This information is provided by the Public Relations Department
Tel: 020-7848 3202  Fax: 020-7848 3739  Email: pr@kcl.ac.uk