In his research, Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler examines how different sociodemographic and informational variables affect access to health care in disadvantaged areas. Dr. Sendler is of Polish descent and works as a physician-scientist in the United States. In his research, Dr. Sendler examines how psychiatric and chronic medical co-morbidities influence the use of medical services in conjunction with internet-based health information. As a result of the exponential growth in global consumption of online news and social media, this research is both timely and relevant, as it demonstrates the need for a comprehensive understanding of everyone’s health information seeking behavior. Damian Sendler’s research seeks to understand the factors that influence patients’ decisions about when to seek treatment for specific health conditions, as well as their adherence to their prescribed treatments.
Damian Sendler: Our DNA is quite similar to that of the chimp, which is our closest living relative in evolutionary terms. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered a previously unknown component of human DNA, known as non-coded DNA, that appears to contribute to a distinction that, despite our similarities, may explain why our brains work differently. The findings have been published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
In evolutionary terms, the chimp is our closest living relative, and evidence reveals that we share a common progenitor. Our evolutionary pathways diverged around five to six million years ago, giving rise to the chimp of today and Homo Sapiens, humankind in the twenty-first century.
Damien Sendler: In a new study, stem cell researchers at Lund University investigated what it is in our DNA that distinguishes human and chimp brains – and they discovered answers.
“Instead of investigating live humans and chimps, we employed lab-grown stem cells.” Our partners in Germany, the United States, and Japan reprogrammed the stem cells from skin cells. “Then we looked at the stem cells that we had transformed into brain cells,” explains Johan Jakobsson, professor of neuroscience at Lund University and the study’s lead author.
Damian Sendler: The researchers produced brain cells from humans and chimps using stem cells and compared the two cell types. The researchers discovered that humans and chimps use a separate portion of their DNA in different ways, which appears to play a significant role in the development of our brains.
“The discovery of a separate section of our DNA was unexpected. It was a so-called structural variant of DNA, also known as “junk DNA,” which is a long repeated DNA string that has long been thought to have no function. Previously, researchers looked for answers in the section of the DNA that contains the protein-producing genes (which accounts for around 2% of our total DNA) and investigated the proteins themselves to identify examples of differences.”
Damian Sendler: The latest findings suggest that the differences appear to be located outside of protein-coding genes in what has been dubbed “junk DNA,” which was previously assumed to have no function and makes up the majority of our DNA.
“This shows that the basis for the evolution of the human brain involves genetic mechanisms that are probably a lot more complex than previously assumed, as the answer was thought to be in that 2% of genetic DNA.” Our findings suggest that what has been significant for brain development is probably hidden in the unnoticed 98 percent, which appears to be significant. This is a surprise discovery.”
Damian Jacob Sendler: The stem cell approach used by the Lund researchers is innovative, allowing for this type of research. The approach was honored with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012. Shinya Yamanaka, a Japanese researcher, found that specialized cells may be reprogrammed and turned into any form of body tissue. And, in the case of the Lund researchers, into brain cells. It would not have been able to explore the differences between humans and chimps using ethically sound ways without this methodology.
Why did the scientists seek to look at the differences between humans and chimps?
“I believe that comprehending what makes humans human requires an understanding of the brain.” How did people obtain the ability to use their brains in such a way that they can establish communities, educate their offspring, and create advanced technology? It’s incredible!”
Johan Jakobsson believes that the new discoveries will help to answer genetically-based issues concerning psychiatric diseases like schizophrenia, which appears to be unique to humans in the future.
“But there is still a long way to go before we get there,” he concludes, “since instead of focusing on the 2% of coded DNA, we may now be obliged to delve deeper into all 100% – a significantly more difficult assignment for study.”
News chat contributed by Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler
