Researchers have had an impressive number of attempts in trying to treat
Mitochondrial disease, which is known to be a genetic disorder that affects thousands of children in the U.S, threatening their lives every year.
This disease is actually represented by a type of cell organelle known as the “powerhouse” of the cell.
The extremely small structures turn fats and carbohydrates into energy. In case a genetic mutation happens, the normal functioning of the mitochondria is interrupted and a variety of problems such as diabetes, muscular dystrophy, deafness, dementia and even heart disease might appear.
There have never been to many options for treating this life-threatening disease. However, as stated before, many researchers are looking for a treatment for it. They may have had a recent breakthrough using stem cells to do so.
A Breakthrough In the Field of Genetics
Until now, this disease had very limited treatment options. Stem cells may be the answer here, since they can transform into any type of cell in the body. But the body has them in a very limited supply, and they are also very hard to artificially reproduce.
The great news is that a recent research might have been successful, becoming an important step towards developing new therapies.
According to the report, published in Nature, researchers have discovered that even people suffering from mitochondrial disease can still produce healthy mitochondrial DNA that can be used to mend the defects.
What’s the Next Step?
This can be considered a breakthrough in the field of genetics, since it implies that the researchers could now be able to generate heart, brain, muscle and even eye cells using mutation-free stem cells.
Now, the next step is to understand how to create this cell in such a manner that they are fully mature and functional.
The Possibility of a Cure Exists
This might sound like a challenge for many of us, but after the recent breakthrough, scientists from the Salk Institute are full of optimism.
The fact that a cure is quite far from being complete is true since stem cells cannot transform into the proper types of tissue, on their own. However, as stated before, this is an important step that must be celebrated with even more research before a transplant method is possible.
