From abc.net.au:
‘US researchers have found a way to reverse Down syndrome in newborn lab mice by injecting an experimental compound that causes the brain to grow normally.
The study, published in the Science Translational Medicine journal, offers no direct link to a treatment for humans but scientists are hopeful it may offer a path towards future breakthroughs.
…
The team at Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, in Baltimore, used lab mice that were genetically engineered to have extra copies of about half the genes found on human chromosome 21, leading to Down syndrome-like conditions such as smaller brains and difficulty learning to navigate a maze.
On the day the mice were born, scientists injected them with a small molecule known as a sonic hedgehog pathway agonist.’
Fascinating stuff!!!
September 5, 2013 at 20:30
With a huge asterisk. Half of the time what holds true for mice brains hold true to ours, and the other half the time, it doesn’t.
Xanthippa says:
Of course!
But every little step is a good thing…