<
https://www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/early-skeleton-map-reveals-how-bones-form-in-humans/>
"The first ‘blueprint’ of human skeletal development reveals how the skeleton
forms, shedding light on the process of arthritis, and highlighting cells
involved in conditions that affect skull and bone growth.
Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and collaborators have used
cutting-edge genomic techniques to identify all the cells and pathways involved
in the early stages of skeletal development. Part of the wider
Human Cell
Atlas project, this resource could be used to investigate whether current or
future therapeutic drugs could disrupt skeletal growth if used during
pregnancy.
The study, published today (20 November) in
Nature, shows a clear picture of
how cartilage acts as a scaffold for bone development across the skeleton,
apart from the top of the skull. The team mapped all the cells critical for
skull formation and investigated how genetic mutations may cause soft spots in
the skull of newborns to fuse too early, restricting the growth of the
developing brain. In the future, these cells could be used as possible
diagnostic and therapeutic targets for identifying and treating congenital
conditions.
They also found certain genes activated in early bone cells that might be
linked to an increased risk of developing hip arthritis as an adult.
Comparatively, they suggest that other genes in early cartilage cells are
linked to an increased risk of developing arthritis in the knee, possibly due
to their role in cartilage repair. In the future, studying these different
cells further could help develop new treatments for these conditions.
Overall, the developing skeletal atlas is a freely available resource that can
be used to understand more about bone development and how this influences
conditions affecting these tissues that occur in children and adults.
This paper is one of a collection of more than 40
Human Cell Atlas
publications in
Nature Portfolio journals that represent a milestone leap in
our understanding of the human body. These highly complementary studies have
shed light on central aspects of human development, and health and disease
biology, and have led to the development of vital analytical tools and
technologies, all of which will contribute to the creation of the
Human Cell
Atlas."
Via
Fix the News:
https://fixthenews.com/279-breakneck-solarisation/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
