WIKIMEDIA, LOUISA HOWARDScientists from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and their colleagues have effectively repaired mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) defects in patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Their work was published in Nature this week (July 15).
It may be a long path to the clinic, however, noted Robin Lovell-Badge of the Francis Crick Institute in London who was not involved in the study. “It’s going to be difficult to introduce cells in a way that you would help a patient,” he said. “You’ve got to substantially replace the cells of that patient.”
“It’s a first step, but we will follow up with further research,” agreed study coauthor Shoukhrat Mitalipov of OHSU’s Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy.
JESSICA MARIANILab-made miniature brains composed of patient-derived iPSCs could help researchers better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a study published in Cell this week (July 16). Researchers from Yale University and their colleagues have already gleaned new insights from these organoid models, including an association between ASD and an overproduction of inhibitory neurons.
“These are patients with idiopathic autism that do not share any genetic causes, and yet the authors find ...
