 |
 |
Hi All, TIME.com Health Your A to Z Guide to the Year in Medicine TIME reviews the advances and setbacks — from AIDS cocktails to zinc supplements — that made 2000 such a remarkable year for patients and doctors alike. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,93989,00.html Parkinson's Disease In an important step forward for both Parkinson's research and the struggling field of gene therapy, scientists in Chicago used a gene that boosts dopamine production and strengthens brain cells to successfully treat monkeys showing symptoms of the neurodegenerative disorder. By injecting a virus containing the GDNF (glial-derived neurotrophic factor) gene directly into monkeys' brains, scientists stimulated cell growth in areas normally injured by Parkinson's and reduced symptoms of the disease, such as hand tremors. Although success in primates doesn't mean success in humans, researchers hope to start clinical trials in humans within five years. (Ahhh, that elusive FIVE years!) What about the Amgen trials? Cheers ......... murray [log in to unmask]