The same hormone that is responsible for the level of blood pressure in the body, and for this reason was called "the unknown plague of the 21st century" * Recently, another Israeli way to grow insulin-producing cells was discovered
Aviva Mashri *
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Sometimes it seems like it's all genetics, but it's not. While everyone was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the DNA structure, quiet voices were heard, wishing to remind that this is a double jubilee year, in which the identification and characterization of a hormone called Aldosterone was also celebrated.
Those responsible for the discovery are James Tait and Sylvia Simpson, later a married couple, who lived in London in the early 50s. They shared the results of their research with Tadausz Reichstein of Basel. It's a bit hard to believe, but the discovery of the double spiral, a few months before, was seen as not sensational news in those days. The three researchers did not win the Nobel Prize, but this is probably because Reichstein already won it in 1950 together with two other scientists for other research in the field of hormones.
Aldosterone is a hormone that regulates the presence in the body of substances such as sodium and potassium, and hence also affects the level of blood pressure. Its origin is in the outer stem of the kidney gland, and this is what the Tait couple discovered. In 1952, they succeeded in locating and measuring the secretion of the hormone in the body, and solved issues related to the rate of its secretion from the gland. 50 years later, the genetic approach in medicine slightly overshadows the hormonal approach. But not for ever, since now the research in the field is awakening a little.
The respected "The Endocrine Society" will hold its 85th annual conference on June 19 to 22. The conference will be dedicated to cardiovascular endocrinology. But among other things, they will mark there the 50th anniversary of the discovery of aldosterone, which they call "the unknown epidemic of the 21st century".
And here, today the newspaper of the American Academy of Sciences (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) presents an Israeli-American, in the framework of which insulin-producing cells were grown in the laboratory from stem cells originating from human embryos. The group, led by Prof. Shimon Efrat from the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, succeeded, in collaboration with researchers from the University of California, in causing the cells to produce about a third of the insulin of normal beta cells.
This study, by the way, made use of liver cells. "In the absence of stem cells in the pancreas, we went to the closest available cells," explains Prof. Efrat. "Because the liver and pancreas develop from a common source." According to the study, transplanting these cells into diabetic mice cured the disease and maintained a normal level of sugar in their blood for months.
"Globes": The researchers at the Jerusalem ESI also succeeded in producing insulin-producing cells.
Efrat: "They used embryonic stem cells, which is another thing. We used embryo cells, but a late embryo, about four months old, which already has organs. It is still not clear which of the two approaches will work - embryonic cells or more mature tissues. In both directions there are difficulties and there are advantages, and the researchers work in both at the same time, with the hope that one of them will materialize into a treatment."
In a press release it was stated that "the cells described in the article may be used for transplantation in patients" - and it is nice that they added the small caveat, "if a way is found to protect them from immune rejection". The question of transplant rejection is the million dollar question in this field.
"True", admits Efrat. "Even if we succeed in sorting the patient's own cells, there will still be a problem of immune rejection, because a diabetic patient destroys his own insulin cells. We will have to protect them somehow. It is possible that cells that develop from another tissue will not be clearly recognized by the body as insulin-producing cells, and in such a situation our liver cells may have an advantage, but things are not clear."
"In any case, people work in different directions to protect the cells. One option is to insert the cells into a capsule with a semi-permeable membrane, which will allow insulin molecules to pass through, but will not allow immune system cells to attack the transplanted cells. It still doesn't work completely. There is also the possibility of developing drugs that suppress the immune system. Another option is to genetically modify the cells so that their resistance is increased. We are trying this method, but the road is long."
Was the option of establishing a company based on this development, through Ramot, the university's implementation company, considered?
"We are in contact with them, but a concrete possibility has not yet emerged. But of course we will be happy."
Alan Corp, a rather unhappy company for two years, has announced that it will sell two of its products to King, in order to avoid a bankruptcy situation. On this occasion, she also suspended the lawsuit she filed against King, following King's withdrawal from the intention to soften the drugs by 850 million dollars. Well, as part of the new agreement that was signed, King will pay Alan 750 million dollars, for the exclusive rights to market a drug to relax muscles and treat sleep disorders. If both drugs remain protected from generic competition, Alan will be entitled to additional payments. It was the fear of generic competition that caused King to withdraw from the original proposal (after the American authorities investigated it at the beginning of the year on the suspicion that it thwarted the plans of competitors too aggressively).
The analysts agreed that "this deal was critical to Alan's recovery plan", since after buying companies like crazy during 2001, the company fell in one. Not only was development for the treatment of Alzheimer's abandoned, due to severe side effects, but another investigation was opened and closed due to alleged "misleading accounting operations". Its debts now stand at $1.5 billion, and the deal with King will help a little.
And with Dr. Tzachi Berger, optimism arose at the end of last week, probably thanks to the same spirit that caused him to re-enter the position of ABI chairman (instead of Miki Shikler from the letter). Berger, who now works with the Starr Foundation, was one of the members of the concluding panel of "Biotech 2003". Suddenly, he says, he had the feeling that there was hope - since the attendees, veteran biotech foxes, referred to the Monitor report as a central issue in the matter of government involvement in biotech. The chief scientist in his own right, Berger was impressed, "it went in this direction, and I was satisfied."
"Globes": So what's new?
Berger: "I constantly talk to these people and hear them. But when they sat in front of a chief scientist who supports the report and talked, it sounded different. By the way, those who opposed or disagreed with the committee's recommendations also spoke."
Talk about procrastination in the tax office.
"I continue to press with all my might. You have to do, not sit and cry. There is a report and it needs to be implemented."
How do the main recommendations of the monitor report stand now, for example the transfer of technologies from the Academy of Industry, or the training of managers? "Therapists", says Berger. "It is a long and difficult process. The main thing about the report is that it brought the problems to the surface, and that they started to address them. It is clear to me that this is not a short process and that it will not come out immediately and all at once. A dunam here and a dunam there, and it will start to weave into something.
"I thought a lot about the matter of a monitor. If anyone knew what would solve the problems, we would be prophets. We have been saying for a long time that a multinational company should be attracted to Israel. It is true that there is 'the situation', but perhaps the government will be open to the step of supporting the establishment of a local branch of a large company, as they did with Intel. And we would be happy if there was a government venture capital fund for the field."
Are further changes expected in the report?
"As soon as you go out into the field, the enemy does not always behave according to the plan."
What is most urgent to happen now?
"The change in the political and economic situation, but we have no control over that. In biotech, more massive government involvement is needed. They talked about the need to make a decision if biotech is a national project. If such a decision is made, it will be a very significant change. There is a new government that can take it on.
"The most important thing is to do. We are in a competitive situation, Israel is not the only one trying to attract investments in the field, we need to find the appropriate model. An appropriate amount, otherwise everyone will run away from us."
Too optimistic? Maybe it's better to be optimistic than defeatist.
aviva-m@globes.co.il
* Published in Globes on 21/5/03 and is presented here with the permission of Aviva Mashmari
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