Researchers and drug companies have begun to create a stem cell cure for common mental illnesses including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The researchers are using stem cells to screen potential drugs to help the mentally ill. This stem cell cure will enable researchers to thoroughly test the effects of drugs in a petri dish, before giving them to patients.

One new program that uses stem cells to test drugs is being organised by the National Institute of Mental Health, Rusty Gage of the Salk Institute and Hongjun Song of Johns Hopkins University.

Scientists will take skin cells from patients with a specific mental illness, then convert those cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). iPSCs have the ability to turn into any kind of cell within the human body. The scientists will then prompt the iPSCs to turn into brain cells. The brain cells are placed into a petri dish and treated with the drugs that are being tested.

Scientists then examine the brain cells to assess which drugs have helped restore the cells to normal function. Two drug companies, Janssen Research & Development and Cellular Dynamics International, are involved in the new drug testing program.

Psychiatric illnesses are often very difficult to treat, however, there are already some effective drugs available. Scientists hope that this new process will improve the effectiveness of existing drugs and lead to new breakthroughs.

Although most stem cell research focuses on their ability to regenerate tissue and treat diseases, researchers expect some of the biggest breakthroughs to come from using stem cells to test new drugs. They can precisely evaluate how well drugs work and learn how to improve them by closely examining cells in vitro.

Source: Stem cells to help search for schizophrenia, bipolar treatments

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