Ep. 98: “Parkinson’s Cell Therapy” Featuring Dr. Dustin Wakeman

Guest: Dr. Dustin Wakeman is Senior Research Scientist at RxGen and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Yale School of Medicine.  Dr. Wakeman focuses his career on determining the long-term therapeutic value of stem cell therapy in neurodegenerative disorders. His interests include stem cell-based therapeutics, disease modeling, neural transplantation, and morphological and molecular changes in aging and neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's, Huntington's, Alzheimer's and more. Featured Resource: STEMdiff™ Cerebral Organoid Kit Resources and Links Gene Editing of Human Embryos Gets Rid of a Mutation that Causes Heart Failure – Molecular scissors known as CRISPR/Cas9 corrected a gene defect that can lead to heart failure. Mice with a Mutation Linked to Autism Affect Their Littermates’ Behavior – This article suggests that genetically normal littermates behave like mice that carry an autism-related mutation, despite not having the mutation themselves. One in Three U.S. Adults Takes Opioids, and Many Misuse Them – The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that in an in-person survey of more than 50,000 people, researchers estimated that 91.8 million, or 37.8 percent, of adults used prescription opioids in 2015. Stem Cell Brain Implants Could 'Slow Ageing and Extend Life', Study Shows – This article reveals that scientists have slowed down the ageing process by implanting stem cells into the brains of animals, raising hopes for new strategies to combat age-related diseases and extend the human lifespan. ONC201 May Inhibit Cancer Stem Cell Self-Renewals by Altering Their Gene Expression – According to this article, ONC201 alters the gene expression of cancer stem cell markers and signaling pathways prior to killing the tumor cells, providing pharmacodynamic biomarkers of response. Researchers Develop New Way to Develop Purer Insulin-Producing Stem Cells – Researchers have found that the cell surface protein glycoprotein 2 allowed them to isolate the pancreatic endoderm cells; enabling them to get a purer sample of cells which could increase their effectiveness and safety when implanted into humans. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Dustin Wakeman Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe