Although Alzheimer's disease has been known for more than a century, only recently have major advances been made in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Dr. Tyler Wenzel, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Saskatchewan, is conducting research that could revolutionize the way we diagnose and treat brain disorders. Using stem cells from the blood, Wenzel says he has found a way to grow small but powerful “mini-brains,” which could simplify the diagnosis of diseases like Alzheimer's.
“You can’t actually confirm Alzheimer's disease Until the patient dies, because you have to do an autopsy. So if we have enough patients and a large enough population, we can actually confirm the diagnosis before the patient dies.”
The mini-brains provide a more realistic sample of brain tissue than mice or deceased human brains. Sharper images of brain tissue allow Wenzel and his team to see the effects of brain disease in greater detail, revealing things that might be missed using other tissues.
Grown solely on blood, these mini-brains use stem cells to grow three-millimetre-long clusters of cells that are nearly identical to the patient's brain. Using blood to grow the mini-brains means people living in rural areas could save time, money and effort getting a diagnosis or treatment for brain disorders.
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Patients can go to a blood clinic or local hospital, and the blood collected can be shipped to a laboratory for analysis, wherever they are. Diagnosis or treatment usually takes 6 to 8 months, but now it has been reduced to about 2 months.
While the analysis process will still take months, Wenzel said it’s about getting people the care they need.
“If we can make a diagnosis in about two months, then we can get patients into treatment sooner, they can start getting care sooner, which will hopefully improve their quality of life.”
Wenzel's mini-brains have all the cell types found in a typical human brain. Even though the mouse brain tissue is from a completely different species and the cadaver tissue is dead, the mini-brains can send and receive signals just as they would in a living person's skull.
The simplicity of the mini-brains was also one of the most complex challenges in proving Wenzel's theory that functional brain tissue could be grown from stem cells. Brain tissue looks just like normal tissue unless you look at it under a microscope. It wasn't until skeptics saw wrinkles in brain tissue that others in the academic community began to support the idea.
Kaleta Strand, CEO of the Alzheimer's Society of Saskatchewan, said Wenzel's research is a welcome sign of hope for those living with brain diseases.
“Knowing the difference it can make for people with dementia is always exciting and really moves us forward toward that hope that one day we’ll be able to find the cause and treatment for Alzheimer’s and other dementias.”
Although Wenzel's research is still a relatively new concept, initial test results are very encouraging. With enough time and research, this research may well lead to treatments and cures for brain disorders that were once thought to be untreatable.
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