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Please remove from list, thanks. -----Original Message----- From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Robert A. Fink, M. D. Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2000 6:50 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: New Research -Spheramine Send reply to: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network <[log in to unmask]> From: Rollin&Rosemary <[log in to unmask]> Subject: New Research -Spheramine To: [log in to unmask] Date sent: Wed, 9 Feb 2000 14:21:53 -0500 > Titan Announces Corporate Partnership With Schering AG for Development and > Commercialization of Novel Parkinson's Disease Therapy > As I read this headline I thought just another merger. But as I > continued to read I became more excited. I will leave out all the > preliminary verbage and quote the heart of the matter: > "Titan's product, Spheramine(TM), is a novel, cell-based product for > the treatment of Parkinson's disease, which will utilize non-embrhyonic, > human retinal pigment epithnelial (RPE) cells. RPE cells produce > dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is lacking in certain brain regions in > Parkinson's disease. The product consists of human RPE cells adhered to > microscopic, inert matrices which allow the long term survival and > function of cells that are implanted into the mammalian central nervous > system. Murine and primate animal studies have demonstrated the ability > of a single treatment of RPE cells on microcarriers to significanatly > reverse Parkinson's like symptome for the duration of the experimental > evaluation, which was up to one year. Please see the abstract which I posted here last month concerning the recent meeting of the California Association of Neurological Surgeons in San Francisco. One of the major players in the implantation research for PD spoke and said that the best research to date (he used embryonic tissue) showed that the cells survived the transplant, but did not make the patients better! In fact, many of the patients with dyskinesias *got worse* after implantation. He concluded that implantation therapy was "not yet ready for patients". Best, Bob ********************************************** Robert A. Fink, M. D., F.A.C.S., P. C. 2500 Milvia Street Suite 222 Berkeley, California 94704-2636 Telephone: 510-849-2555 FAX: 510-849-2557 WWW: http://www.dovecom.com/rafink/ mailto:[log in to unmask] "Ex Tristitia Virtus" *********************************************