NeuroD1 Gene Therapy for Neural Regeneration Looks Like a Dead End

In recent years, researchers have produced what looked like promising results in reprogramming supporting cells in the brain into neurons via neuroD1 gene therapy. A way to do this, to produce new neurons that can integrate into existing neural circuits, would provide a road to regeneration of the brain. Unfortunately, and as sometimes happens, this may all be a dead end, and the early promise was based on misinterpretation of the data. This will likely be hashed out further in the next few years; science often proceeds in this way, and this is one of the many reasons as to why independent replication is vital to scientific progress. In 2019, researchers in Japan published breakthrough results detailing how NeuroD1, a protein involved in cell differentiation, could coax microglia into new neurons. Now, researchers in China have found that not only does NeuroD1 not induce microglia-to-neuron conversion, but also that the protein induces microglia death. The team set out to investigate the molecular mechanisms underpinning the original finding, since microglia and neurons descend from different cellular lineages. The researchers applied a rigid lineage tracing protocol to follow the cellular differentiation progression in mice, as well as to monitor the effect of lentiviral vectors - an inert virus package used to carry NeuroD1 to the central nervous system - on the process. They validated their observations through live cell imaging and pharmacological approac...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs