Mice treated with a protein from umbilical cord plasma showed improved memory
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Re: Mice treated with a protein from umbilical cord plasma showed improved memory
#2should we start worrying people getting pregnant just to be harvested (voluntarily or not, for themselves or for sale)?
Re: Mice treated with a protein from umbilical cord plasma showed improved memory
#3should we start worrying people getting pregnant just to be harvested (voluntarily or not, for themselves or for sale)?
I don't see why that would be necessary. I skimmed the article and did some additional poking around for the protein at issue. I can't tell if it's been characterized, but it may be possible to synthesize it or get cells to produce it for you- either or which would obviate the need to extract it from actual cord blood.
Re: Mice treated with a protein from umbilical cord plasma showed improved memory
#4should we start worrying people getting pregnant just to be harvested (voluntarily or not, for themselves or for sale)?
Listen to NPR's story for contemporary opinions against how this might not work for humans. http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/04/19/52397584...
Re: Mice treated with a protein from umbilical cord plasma showed improved memory
#5should we start worrying people getting pregnant just to be harvested (voluntarily or not, for themselves or for sale)?
They already harvest abortions for stem cells and such, so this wouldn't present any new ethical issues even if it were true.
Re: Mice treated with a protein from umbilical cord plasma showed improved memory
#6Can young animal blood also make old humans smarter (sheep, goats, pigs, ...)?
If so, and without adverse effects [1], an opportunity is discovered. Human cells might be better but a protein from animals might be cheaper and less ethically challenged, thus more accessible to the masses.
[1] An expert please have a say whether that is plausible or not.
Re: Mice treated with a protein from umbilical cord plasma showed improved memory
#7[deleted]
Re: Mice treated with a protein from umbilical cord plasma showed improved memory
#8should we start worrying people getting pregnant just to be harvested (voluntarily or not, for themselves or for sale)?
I don't see why that would be necessary. I skimmed the article and did some additional poking around for the protein at issue. I can't tell if it's been characterized, but it may be possible to synthesize it or get cells to produce it for you- either or which would obviate the need to extract it from actual cord blood.
TIMP2 is a well known protein, available from many sources like this one: http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/sigma/srp3174?la...
Re: Mice treated with a protein from umbilical cord plasma showed improved memory
#9So, it's like a real life "Flowers for Algernon". Let's hope for a better ending.
Re: Mice treated with a protein from umbilical cord plasma showed improved memory
#10tl;dr: found that human umbilical cord plasma (= blood minus cells) improves old mice brain function (plasticity, memory), then teased out which protein in the cord plasma seems to have this effect (TIMP2) and showed that it is actively transported across blood-brain barrier (by marking it radioactively).
Since this worked across species barriers, it can be speculated that a similar effect would be seen when administering TIMP2 in humans. It'll be exciting to see what comes of clinical studies, which are under way.
[EDIT]:tone down expectations