Artificial brain 'could lead to Alzheimer's cure'
Domiciliary care insurance
27th March 2009
Scientists in Birmingham have created an artificial brain that they say could lead to a cure for diseases such as Alzheimer's.
The research, which was undertaken at Aston University, involved the reprogramming of cells from a cancerous tumour, enabling it to create cells identical to those found in the human nervous system.
Research leader Professor Michael Coleman described the development as "incredibly exciting".
He commented: "In the longer term we hope that our procedure can be used to help us understand how conditions such as Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases develop."
According to the Alzheimer's Society, the disease is the most common cause of dementia and affects around 417,000 people in the UK.
Symptoms commonly include lapses of memory, becoming confused, experiencing mood swings and becoming withdrawn.
The disease is caused by changes to the chemistry and structure of the brain, which results in the degeneration and death of cells.
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