Scientists have discovered a "one-step strategy" offering hope for treating Parkinson's disease and other degenerative illnesses after converting mice brain cells into functioning neurons, they reported in research on Wednesday.
The motor defects associated with Parkinson's are largely caused by the loss of dopamine-emitting neurons, electrically active cells that communicate with others, in the brain.
A team of US and China-based researchers used genome-editing to convert a different type of brain cell - astrocytes - into neurons, thereby slowing the loss of dopamine and restoring motor functions in injured mice.
Worldwide, about seven per cent of people over the age of 65 suffer from Alzheimer's or some form of dementia, rising to 40 per cent of people over 85.
More than 10 million people live with Parkinson's.
Past attempts to treat neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's have aimed to prevent or slow the loss of dopamine-emitting neurons, which do not naturally repopulate when they die or become damaged.
But the new technique simply aims to replace them through cell conversion, scientists said.
"We're now rebuilding the whole pathway," Xiang-Dong Fu, a professor at the University of California, San Diego, told AFP.
"That becomes a very promising approach to turn non-neuronal cells into neurons to replace those lost ones."
Researchers were able to convert astrocytes, a type of brain cell similar to neurons, in the part of the brain where Parkinson's causes neuron loss into dopamine-emitting neurons by removing an RNA-binding protein called PTBP1.
"We stumbled into this phenomenon," said Prof Fu, a cellular and molecular biologist who studies RNA, the molecule that codes DNA.
"When you deplete this protein, practically any cell we tested became neurons."
While astrocytes are prevalent in the brain, the PTBP1 protein prevents them from naturally being converted into neurons.
The team used Crispr genome-editing techniques to reprogram the astrocyte RNA, then inject it into different parts of the mice brains.
Three out of four mice that received the cell conversion therapy showed "significant restoration of dopamine release," they wrote in the journal Nature.
The researchers performed studies on two-month and one-year-old mice, the human equivalent of testing 20-year-olds and 60-year-olds.
While the cell conversion was highly successful in the younger mice, the authors reported an "age-related decrease" of success in older animals.
"The ageing issue is a big problem," he said.
"Not only is the disease age-dependent, but a lot of things are age dependent, including the ability to switch cell fate."
Another challenge is increasing the effectiveness of the cell conversion rate.
Ernest Arenas, a professor of molecular neurobiology at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, wrote in a linked editorial that 60-65 per cent of the infected astrocytes did not convert to become neurons.
"This percentage must decrease," he said.
"Eventual application of our approach to humans will need to overcome many obstacles," the authors wrote, noting that in addition to age-related limits, more research about potential side effects of the treatment as well as the impact of astrocyte depletion on brain function would need to be done.
Prof Fu cautioned that applying the cell conversion technique to humans was still a distant possibility, and that additional research in larger animals such as rats and monkeys would be needed first.
"This mouse study is just the beginning," he said. "It's the proof of a concept."
"Clearly we cannot get over-excited and just say, 'Tomorrow, let's shoot these things into human brains,' and then the next day everybody's fine," he added.
"That would be too magic."
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
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Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
