Stem Cell Research
Part 9

An explanation of stem cells and their potential to treat HD.

Will stem cell research provide the cure for HD?

Researchers generally do not believe that stem cell research will be the “magic cure” for HD. Rather, it is likely to be part of the fight against the neurodegeneration seen in HD. Ultimately, the medical and scientific community will need to improve early diagnosis, reduce the severity of cell loss, combat inflammation, provide new neurons (which is where stem cells factor in), and utilize progressive rehabilitation techniques to allow complete regeneration. While stem cells may not cure HD, they could serve as a crucial component to effective treatment.

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-J. Czaja, 3-07-03

For further reading:

1. Allison, Wes. “Preliminary success of fetal brain-cell transplantation in Huntington’s Disease.” The Lancet http://www.hdsa.org/research/research3.pl.
   A short, but fairly technical article.
2. Begley, Sharon. “Cellular Divide.” Newsweek, 9 July 2001: 22-27.
   An easy-to-read explanation of stem cells and an update on progress as of July 2001.
3. Bjorklund, Anders and Ollie Lindvall. “Cell replacement therapies for central nervous system disorders.” Nature Neuroscience, June 2000, 3 (6): 537-544.
   A technical paper discussing the progress of fetal neural transplantation in treating Parkinson’s and Huntington’s Disease.
4. Freeman, Thomas, et.al. “Tranplanted fetal striatum in Huntington’s disease: Phenotypic development and lack of pathology.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 5 December 2000, 97 (25): 13877-13882.
   A highly technical paper discussing the potential of fetal neural tissue to treat HD.
5. Gibbs, W. Wayt. “Biological Alchemy.” Scientific American, February 2001: 16-17.
   A less technical article depicting the discovery of neural adult stem cells and discussing the possible plasticity of adult stem cells.
6. Mitchell, Steve. “Rare stem cells produces many cell types.” United Press International, 21 June 2002. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_8193.html.
   A short, easy-to-read article about adult stem cell plasticity.
7. “Stem Cells: A Primer.” National Institutes of Health, May 2000. http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/primer.htm.
   A comprehensive, easy-to-read explanation of stem cells and their potential applications. Great online resource.
8. “Stem Cells: Potential for Good?” The Economist, 18 August 2001: 59-61.
   A thorough explanation of stem cells and the controversy surrounding their development and use.
9. “Stem Cells: Scientific Progress and Future Research Directions.” Department of Health and Human Services, June 2001. http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/scireport.htm.
   An extensive, fairly technical summary of everything you would want to know about stem cells.
10. Weiss, Samuel. “Stem Cells and Huntington Disease.” Horizon, Huntington Society of Canada Newsletter, Summer 2001, No. 101: 1-2.
    An easy-to-read explanation of stem cells and their potential to treat HD.

Last Modified: 5-08-03

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