Stimulating brain stem cells to repair damaged nerve cells

Lead Investigator: Professor Clive Ballard
Institution: Kings College London
Grant type: Project
Duration: 1 year
Amount: £100,000

Scientific Title: Promoting endogenous neurogenesis as a therapeutic strategy for vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

What do we already know?

As different forms of dementia develop, such as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, nerve cells in the brain die.

Scientists have discovered that stem cells, which exist naturally in the brain, are able to repair damaged nerve cells. This repair requires the presence of a crucial chemical messenger, acetylcholine.

Could stem cells be harnessed and used to treat  neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease?

What does this project involve?

Mouse models of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia will be treated with a drug to increase levels of acetylcholine in the brain to see if it stimulates stem cells to repair nerve cells.

Nerve cells will also be grown in the laboratory and analysed to further understand the complicated molecular pathways involved in their repair.

How will this benefit people with dementia?

Stem cells could provide a viable treatment option for people with dementia in the future.

This work could also identify novel targets for drug design to provide new treatments for Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

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