hi margory :
don't "blow a gasket" ;>)
we need you around
"Marjorie L. Moorefield" wrote:
> I hate it when only specific parts of articles are picked and quoted.
> In my morning newspaper there is ,in the same previously quoted article , a
> statement which would certainly make me take it with a grain of salt.
don't need a prescription for salt--but, highly recommended anyway
all new techniques need to be scrutinized--
so they don't cause more harm than good
> Since our PD is not chemically induced and since the brains of monkeys are not
> the same as humans,
monkey brains are as close as it gets from the the animal world
that was the hardest part of my job as a lab tech in a surgery lab--
monkeys and baboons were more aware of what was going on
than the other animals we used to use
and there is an intelligence in their eyes
and sadness or anger without words
one of the techs that had been there way too long
said "he would like experiment on humans---but, they wouldn't let him"
actually that happens in the next step of "clinical" trials
> this make persons grasping for straws only hope forsomething
> which ,more than likely will never happen. I think this is cruel to publish
> such hopeful
> things to the public, and I think researchers only do it to try to get more
> research money. They should have held this article until it went to the FDA and
> was
> approved by them for testing.
>
with the recent problems encountered from the death of a young man
undergoing experimental viral gene therapy--the NIH is going to be
hesitant to ok anything that may cause another unexpected death
i saw the father of the young man testify before congress
they had been poorly informed of the risks
he was very emotionally upset -- of course
but, did not want it to happen again -- to anyone
top level NIH personnel were called upon to testify also
and the bureaucracy of NIH is going to be tightened up
so that clinical studies get done "by the book"
two monkeys died of unexplained causes
one from each group--treated and untreated
the untreated control died from the procedure
the treated could have died from the procedure or the virus
or something else happened
unexplained causes of death will be a big problem
> I quote from the same article:
> Dr. Mark Tuszynski, head of a brain-disorder research center at the University
> of California at San Diego, said the experiment in monkeys was "fascinating".
> He said, however, that it is not known whether the brain cells affected by
> the chemically induced Parkinson's in monkeys are precisely the same as those
> affected by
> the actual disease in humans.
>
there are alternative chemically induced models for parkinsons
but, this model is as good as it gets and has been used for years.
Zap the dopaminergic cells in a monkey brain
(or rat, or dog, or whatever) brain
then try to get recovery.
all our new drugs for parkinsons has come from this model
mirapex, requip, sylegilene (sp?), etc.... you name it
some animal has been scrutinized and their reactions
and carefully statistically defined.
go to the vet
and your pet dog has all kinds of drugs available
that humans use too.
> It continues:
> Kordower said a separate safety study is under way in monkeys, and when
> that is completed in about six months an application for human clinical trials
> will
> be prepared for presentation to the Food and Drug Administration.
i think this must reference to a safety study and must
refer to viral gene therapy in general.
It is probably needed to address the concerns of the NIH
as related above
there is research going on to try to get around using virus vectors
--hard to do.
> If all of the studies go smoothly, said Kordower, the gene therapy could be
> ready for human testing in three to five years.
big "IF" Margory -- goes back to your concern about getting hopes up
but,
this guy covered his "you know what" with that big "IF"
> At 09:00 AM 10/27/2000 -0400, you wrote:
> >Gene therapy used to turn back clock on Parkinson's
> >
> << BIG SNIP OF ARTICLE>>
and
thanks janet
for passing along this information
i still like getting my hopes up
but,
for some of you, it must indeed be difficult,
after many years of waiting for "the cure"
>
> >janet paterson
> >53 now / 44 dx cd / 43 onset cd / 41 dx pd / 37 onset pd
faith is trust
faith is hope, courage and confidence
and so much more
don't give up yet
this may not be the answer to prayers
but, there is a lot going on out there
..........................................................................
Ray Strand
...on the edge of the prairie abyss ......................
..........................................................................
48/47 dx/40 ? onset pd
..........................................................................
