{"id":3108,"date":"2016-04-12T16:36:08","date_gmt":"2016-04-12T16:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.medicalmarijuanainc.com\/?p=6247"},"modified":"2016-04-12T16:36:08","modified_gmt":"2016-04-12T16:36:08","slug":"harpers-contribution-to-the-muotri-lab-opens-exciting-new-avenues-for-cannabis-as-a-treatment-for-neurological-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medicalmarijuanainc.com\/2016\/04\/12\/harpers-contribution-to-the-muotri-lab-opens-exciting-new-avenues-for-cannabis-as-a-treatment-for-neurological-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"[VIDEO] Harper Family & UC San Diego Study Effects of Cannabis for Neurological Disease, Using Daughter's Cells."},"content":{"rendered":"
Today marks Harper Howard\u2019s<\/a> birthday. She would have been 6 years old. So it seems appropriate then that Penny and Dustin Howard would stop by UCSD\u2019s campus in La Jolla, California, today to visit their daughter, Harper, and see how the donation of her brain and skin will advance the research into her unique disease.<\/p>\n The following video details their visit to the Muotri Lab at UCSD and reveals the Howard\u2019s experience in their own words.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n That work is being lead by Dr. Alysson Muotri, head of the Muotri Lab at UCSD\u2019s Rady Children\u2019s Hospital. Dr. Muotri earned his Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Sao Paulo before moving to the Salk Institute in La Jolla to complete his postdoctoral training in neuroscience and stem cell biology. Dr. Muotri has won over two dozen honors and awards, including the NIH Director\u2019s New Innovator Award and the EUREKA NIMH Award for \u201cexceptionally innovative research\u201d. Now with his own lab within the UCSD Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Muotri focuses on human brain development and evolution, using stem cells to investigate human neurological disorders.<\/p>\n In discussing the importance of the donation of Harper\u2019s tissue, Dr. Muotri points out the significance of having brain and skin cells from Harper in their research. Rather than the typical donation of post-mortem cells, which are not as effective for research, Harper\u2019s stem cells can be used to create \u201cmini-brains\u201d in the lab to better research the effects of a number of possible medications on a CDKL5<\/a> brain.<\/p>\n According to Dr. Muotri, this will \u201cspeed up the process of drug discovery, and perhaps we can go into clinical trials much earlier than if we used previous models.\u201d He goes on to add that Harper\u2019s donation will be able to be used beyond just research into CDKL5 and into a number of additional neurological disorders<\/a>.<\/p>\n Harper\u2019s brain is also unique in that it has been treated for 28 months with CBD hemp oil<\/a>. By conducting research on a CBD<\/a> affected brain, Dr. Muotri can better understand how cannabis plays into the treatment of brain disorders. Dr. Muotri is also \u201ccurrently testing the effects of hemp oil in these mini-brains to see if it can inhibit seizures.\u201d He goes on to discuss the need to understand the long term changes that take place in the brain\u2019s neurons. However, preliminary research at his lab shows a \u201cdecrease in neuronal firing noise\u201d in epilepsy-affected brains.<\/p>\n During the their tour of the lab, Dr. Muotri explained to the Howards the work that has been done to prepare Harper\u2019s cells for research, and Penny was even able to hold the living cells of her daughter again.<\/p>\n The Howards see the work being done by Dr. Muotri as an extension of Harper\u2019s legacy of hope. The Howard family\u2019s forethought and compassion in donating Harper\u2019s cells to research is a boon to further understanding this incredibly rare disease. Talking about this final sacrifice by Harper, Dustin Howard stated, \u201cI hope that her final donation to the world will bring something very positive.\u201d He goes on to praise the work of Dr. Muotri at UCSD, saying, \u201cWith what we saw today, we are 100% sure it will lead to something huge.\u201d<\/p>\n