CELL AND ECONOMY REPROGRAMMED
One way biotechnology could revolutionize the treatment of diseases, as well as Louisiana’s economic development

There are trillions of cells in the human body. Those cells are of distinct groups with distinct functions, which are programmed at the genetic level—contained in DNA, the instructions for life. They come together to form the neural networks of the nervous system, the organs of the digestive system, and every wrinkle in the brain.

However, there are times when a certain type of cell may fail for a variety of reasons, like disease or damage. Brain cells can fail or become defective from Alzheimer’s disease. Lung cells can be negatively affected by cancer or emphysema. A new hope for the treatment of these defects and diseases lies at the Louisiana Emerging Technology Center (LETC), a biotechnology incubator on the LSU campus.

At NuPotential, an LETC tenant, Ken Eilertsen and his research staff are developing cell-
reprogramming technology that could revolutionize the way doctors treat disease. Using cell reprogramming, they hope to change existing cells, such as skin cells, into brain or liver cells that can be used to treat stroke, burns, liver failure, and a host of other afflictions.

“We basically erase the cell’s memory and restore its developmental potential. After that’s done, we can reprogram the cell to be of a certain type,” says Eilertsen, NuPotential co-founder and associate professor of epigenetics and nuclear reprogramming at the LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

A key advantage of NuPotential’s approach is that the procedure uses the patient’s own cells for treatment, thus minimizing the possibility of rejection by the patient’s immune system. Though this treatment seems to radically change the way diseases are treated, the revolution doesn’t necessarily stop there.

NuPotential is one example of the economic development potential in Louisiana. Government and business leaders recognized that potential in 2002, when the Louisiana Legislature signaled its strong support for biotechnology by funding the Louisiana Emerging Technology Center in Baton Rouge, as well as its sister centers in New Orleans and Shreveport. LETC provides tenants like NuPotential private wet lab and office space, as well as shared lab space with equipment to carry out its research. LETC also provides access to technical assistance, funding sources, legal resources, and professional consulting.

“If you want to build a lasting positive impact on economic development, the research enterprise is the best place to start,” says Arthur Cooper, LETC executive director. “Many companies like Dell and Mindspring started in a university-based incubator.”

Eilertsen, a Louisiana native who recently returned after a decade-long absence, remains hopeful of the development of the biotechnology industry in Louisiana and that more researchers and companies will come to the state.

“The future will be interesting,” he says. “Louisiana has the right investments and tools. It’s in Louisiana’s lap in terms of what it wants.”

ON THE WEB:
Louisiana Emerging Technologies Center

from Fall 2006 Issue