Thanks for clearing this up Ray. I had a mind full of questions after
reading the related article.

Regards,

Nic 56/14

On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 11:30 PM, rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> You should know that Dennis Turner, the sole trial subject, had this
> treatment in 1999, with a DBS.  When I called him on 3-24-06 he told me his
> PD had returned with a vengeance.  There is no current communication from
> Turner as to his present condition.
>
> The FDA never approved of Phase II and I can only guess that because it was
> done with DBS it is impossible to tell what accounted for his temporary
> improvement.  Patricia Payne of MA was touted by the Family Research Council
> and David Prentice as an  ASC "success" because she was going to be in Phase
> II, but Phase II never happened.
>
> I suspect that nothing has changed since 2006 except for the peer review
> and they are dragging this case out again to get  FDA approval and  $.  Also
> the assaults against embryonic stem cell research have intensified as Obama
> gets ready to issue executive orders to overturn the Bush restrictions.
>
> I did not post this article because of these omissions.
>
> Ray
>
> Rayilyn Brown
> Director AZNPF
> Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
> [log in to unmask]
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "schild.m" <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 3:16 AM
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Autologous Neural Stem Cells to Treat Parkinson's
>
>  Groundbreaking Paper Publishes Long Term Results of a Successful Phase I
>> Clinical Trial Using Autologous Neural Stem Cells to Treat Parkinson's
>> Disease
>>
>> Last update: 9:11 a.m. EST Feb. 16, 2009
>> LOS ANGELES, Feb 16, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Scientists announced
>> today the publication of a landmark peer-reviewed paper in the February
>> issue
>> of the Bentham Open Stem Cell Journal which outlines the long term results
>> of
>> the world's first clinical trial using autologous neural stem cells for
>> the
>> treatment of Parkinson's disease. According to lead author, Michel F.
>> Levesque, MD, FRCS(C), FACS, "We have documented the first successful
>> adult
>> neural stem cell transplantation to reverse the effects of Parkinson's
>> disease and demonstrated the long term safety and therapeutic effects of
>> this
>> approach." Dr Levesque is a principal investigator for NeuroGeneration, a
>> biotechnology company, and is affiliated with the UCLA School of Medicine
>> and
>> the Brain Research Institute.
>> The researcher reports that the publication of the article, "Therapeutic
>> Microinjection of Autologous Adult Human Neural Stem Cells and
>> Differentiated
>> Neurons for Parkinson's Disease: Five-Year Post-Operative Outcome" in the
>> Bentham Open Stem Cell Journal heralds an important moment in regenerative
>> and personalized medicine. "Our paper describes how we were able to
>> isolate
>> patient-derived neural stem cells, multiply them in vitro and ultimately
>> differentiate them to produce mature neurons before they are reintroduced
>> into the brain's basal ganglia. This is performed without the patient
>> requiring immunosuppressants. Of particular note are the striking results
>> this study yielded -- for the five years following the procedure the
>> patient's motor scales improved by over 80% for at least 36 months. A word
>> of
>> caution must be added however, since this is a single case study, a larger
>> clinical trial is needed to replicate these findings," says Levesque.
>> "We have been pioneering the use of neural stem cells for
>> neurodegenerative
>> disorders since 1998 and were the first research team to successfully use
>> differentiated adult neural stem cells for the cellular restoration and
>> treatment of Parkinson's disease. Our original methodology is based on the
>> replication of several steps in human neurogenesis to regenerate millions
>> of
>> mature neurons characterized before transplantation. These steps are
>> essential to establish safety, efficacy and to understand mechanisms of
>> brain
>> repair. The autologous approach mitigates the long term risks associated
>> with
>> allogenic transplants, including infection, inflammatory response, immune
>> rejection, and poor biologic efficacy. In addition, we believe it was the
>> combination of dopaminergic and GABA-ergic neurons that produced the long-
>> lasting motor improvement. This suggests that in humans, Parkinson's
>> disease
>> is more than a chronic dopaminergic dysfunction and involves the
>> GABA-ergic
>> system with its glial environment. The relevance of this discovery cannot
>> be
>> understated because it questions the classical dopaminergic model of
>> Parkinson's disease," says Levesque.
>> Scientists at NeuroGeneration are planning a larger prospective clinical
>> trial for Parkinson's disease. "It's our hope that this trial will result
>> in
>> the launch of a cost-effective and lasting therapies for the millions of
>> patients suffering from debilitating neurodegenerative disorders,"
>> concludes
>> Levesque.
>> ABOUT NEUROGENERATION:
>> NeuroGeneration, a biotechnology company, is engaged in the development of
>> biological products for the repair of neurological disorders. The company
>> has
>> completed a Phase I clinical trial for Parkinson's disease using adult
>> derived neural stem cells. It intends to start a Phase II study for the
>> treatment of Parkinson's disease as soon as it received final approval
>> from
>> the FDA. It is also planning Phase I studies for multiple systems atrophy,
>> atypical parkinsonism, stroke, spinal cord and brain injuries, and
>> Alzheimer's disease. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered
>> in
>> Los Angeles, California.
>>    FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
>>    Heather Larrabee
>>    NeuroGeneration
>>    310.659.3880
>>    [log in to unmask]
>>     http://www.neurogeneration.com
>>
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