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Judith, Janet, Barbara, Jim Finn and friends, How about if Barbara Patterson asks Dr. Levesque and Mr. Turner to join PIEN? They could provide us with reports on Mr. Turner's condition, and help us follow his progress, just as one of our shining media-stars, PWP Jim Finn, has done since receiving pig cells.... (and by the way, Mr. Finn has done a SUPER job of keeping us posted on his courgaeous adventure with pig-cell transplants)!! Yours curiously from Tasmarland, Ivan Suzman :-) On Wed, 1 Mar 2000 11:10:06 -0500 Judith Richards <[log in to unmask]> writes: > Murray wrote: > > The way I read it, this is using your own brain cells and just > movin' 'em around to where they might do some good...Have > dopaminergic substantia nigra cells been grown from stem > cells?...article was not that specific so I think...not > yet...Hopefully, we are all able to donate a few "seed" cells...I > think the intent is to use your own brain cells - no rejection etc... > > On that note; A fellow list member wrote to me a while ago > and asked if > I knew anything more about the fellow (Dennis Turner) mentioned in > the > following news item and how he is doing. I don't, but wondered if > anyone > else has any more info. jmr > > > REVERSING BRAIN DAMAGE > Television News Service/Medical Breakthroughs > ©Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. May 24, 1999 > > Approximately 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease > each year. The disease is caused by loss of nerve cells in the brain. > Doctors may be able to replace those cells with healthy cells using a > patient's own supply. > > Dennis Turner is a world traveler, former fighter pilot and deep sea > diver. It's no surprise, then, that this risk-taker agreed to be > "first" > to try an experimental treatment that may cure him of Parkinson's > disease. > > Dr. Michael Levesque of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles > removed cells from Dennis' brain. In the laboratory they multiplied > into > millions of cells with a different function. These cells produce > dopamine, a chemical missing in Parkinson's patients that helps > control > movement. > > Last month doctors put the healthy cells back into Dennis' brain. Now > they are waiting to see if the cells can repair damaged brain tissue. > The procedure has already shown to work in stroke patients. Dennis > says, > "The cells are slowly growing in, I think. I can't crawl in my > brain. I > really don't know, but I'm hoping for the best and preparing for the > worst." > > Dr. Levesque says if this works, the process could also reverse nerve > damage caused by epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and spinal cord > injuries. > "We can biopsy any patient, grow their cells in the lab, and then > engineer their cells for whatever disease they have so they can > accept > this transplant without rejection," he says. > > A brain scan will show if the cells are working. Until then, Dennis > will > take his steady hand as a sign they are. > > Doctors plan to test the treatment on stroke and spinal cord injuries > next. They say that will be more complicated because it involves more > than one type of cell. > Copyright © 1999 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. > > -- > Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada > [log in to unmask] > Today’s Research... > Tomorrow’s Cure ^^^^^^ WARM GREETINGS FROM ^^^^^^^^^^^^ :-) Ivan Suzman 50/39/36 [log in to unmask] :-) Portland, Maine land of lighthouses deg. F :-) ********************************************************************