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New disrupted pathway in Motor Neurone Diseases

02 May 2019

At the University of Sheffield Institute of Translational Neuroscience, scientists have discovered a new pathway that is disrupted in Motor Neurone Diseases. Skin cells were converted into brain cells called astrocytes. Astrocytes are star shaped that play a major role in supporting neurons. Then, cells taken from patients and cells taken from healthy people were compared.

The scientists discovered a key enzyme missing. The absence of this enzyme affects the coping mechanism of the nervous system and this is how diseases that cause metabolic dysfunction were detected. The cells from MND patients had reduced ability to turn a metabolic substrate called adenosine into energy due to loss of adenosine deaminase. Hence adenosine deaminase levels were altered to treat Motor Neurone Diseases patients.