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LEAD: Feature advisory for a series of 4 feature stories on regeneration+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)TOKYO, Jan. 23_(Kyodo) _ (EDS: UPDATING) KWS is to move a series of four feature stories on regeneration this week. Call +81-3-6252-8318 (feature editor) or e-mail: [email protected]. (1) Protein injection creates blood vessels Ken Kato reports from Osaka: A man in his 60s living in Kyoto has found relief for the pains in his legs with a treatment that only requires an injection into the muscles. "My legs have become quite light," he said, with evident delight. Due to arteriosclerosis obliterans caused by diabetes, he suffered from sore skin on parts of his legs. His doctor, Masashi Komeda, a professor of cardiovascular surgery at Kyoto University, treated him with "bFGF (basic fibroblast growth factor)," a gelatin containing protein which melts away in a body, leaving the protein to ooze out over a period of about four weeks. (Moved on Monday) (2) Cells extracted from mouth used to treat cornea diseases Masahiro Konuma reports from Osaka: Koji Nishida, a professor at Tohoku University, has begun treating diseases of the cornea with stem cells extracted from the mucous membrane in the mouth, based on the notion that cornea and mucous membrane cells are of a similar nature. A 41-year-old man living in Kobe, western Japan, received the treatment after having had two unsuccessful corneal transplants. The rejected transplants had as a result clouded the cornea, deteriorating his vision too much for him to be able to continue his work as a cook. Nishida, then a professor at Osaka University, operated on the man's left eye in April last year. (To move on Tuesday) (3) ES cells a trump in regeneration medical treatment Ken Kato reports from Osaka: Embryo stem (ES) cells, called "all-powerful cells" because of their ability to turn themselves into every kind of body tissue, have often been referred to as a "trump" in regeneration medical treatment. Research is underway into a treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) that causes trembling in the limbs due to a lack of dopamine, a neurotransmitter produced in the brain. Jun Takahashi, a lecturer in cranial nerve surgery at Kyoto University, and other researchers differentiated a monkey's ES cells in nerve stem cells and transplanted them into the brain of a monkey suffering from PD, improving the disease conditions. (To move on Wednesday) (4) Plenty of hair grown with hair papilla cells Takao Ikeuchi reports from Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan: For about 19 million people with thinning hair, regenerative medical treatment may one day offer a solution through the multiplication and transplantation of hair root cells. Hair growth stimulants and hair restorers are always appearing, but are not effective on everybody. In the market, said to be worth 30 billion yen, PhoenixBio Co. of the city of Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, a bio venture, is working on cell transplantation. (To move on Thursday) |