Microglia (green) and neurons (red).WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, GERRY SHAW/ENCOR BIOTECH
Rett syndrome is a devastating genetic disease in which brain development—along with communication and motor skills—regresses after about 18 months of normal development. While previous work on this disease has focused on its neurological basis, new research published online yesterday (March 18) in Nature suggests that the immune system may be a target worth investigating: in a mouse model of the disease, bone marrow transplants significantly improved symptoms, extending lifespan far and beyond what was expected, increasing size and reducing tremors.
“It’s a very interesting, very provocative paper that could potentially be very important both for the basic biology of the disease as well as translational aspects of it,” said Qiang Chang, who studies the molecular mechanisms of Rett syndrome at the University of Wisconsin ...
