ANTISENSE RNA molecules could help prevent brain damage after head injury,
say Hermona Soreq of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and her colleagues.
While studying the gene for acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme that dampens
signals in the brain, they found a new form of the protein, AChE-R. This
accumulates in the brain after injury and promotes the restoration of damaged
connections.
But too much cell growth seems to be harmful. So to block manufacture of
AChE-R, the researchers injected antisense RNA molecules鈥攚hich shut down
production of particular proteins鈥攊nto the brains of mice within two hours
of a head injury. Treated mice were more likely to survive the injury, recovered
faster and regained more of their original function (Journal of Molecular
Medicine, vol 78, p 228). 鈥淥ur long-term goal is to do this in humans,鈥�
says Soreq.
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