Dear
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I
found this to be so uplifting I want to share it.
All
the best!
Bill
New
Jersey PWP
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Parkinson's Cure May Be Near
By
PAUL RECER
.c The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (Feb. 16) -
Scientists may be on the brink of curing
Parkinson's disease using
transplanted embryonic stem cells, but where and
when that new treatment is
tested in humans depends on unresolved political
decisions, researchers
suggested Friday.
Dr. Ole Isacson of Harvard Medical School and Dr.
Ronald McKay of the
National Institutes of Health said Friday they have both
''cured''
Parkinson's in mice and rats, using stem cells removed from
embryos of
laboratory animals.
In a report at the national meeting
of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, Isacson said
mouse and rat embryonic cells, after
careful processing, can be grafted into
the animal brains where they
transform into replacements for cells killed by
Parkinson's.
''In mouse models (laboratory tests) these cells have
restored function,''
said Isacson.
Using a slightly different
technique, McKay said his NIH lab has also
prompted mouse embryonic stem
cells to convert into cells that are lacking in
Parkinson's.
McKay
and Isacson said researchers are almost ready to test the technique in
humans, but social and political issues must be resolved in the United
States
before that step can be taken in this country.
At the same
time, McKay said it may happen soon in Britain, France or the
Netherlands,
as those countries are adopting policies to advance embryonic
stem cell
research.
''It's going to happen, but just where may depend on social
and political
issues,'' McKay said. ''There is a great sense of optimism
shared by many
people in the field right now.''
In the United
States, some groups, including some members of Congress, oppose
the use of
embryonic stem cells in research because gathering the cells
requires the
death of a human embryo.
New NIH guidelines permit federal funding of
such stem cell research, but
only if the cells are extracted from embryos in
labs not receiving federal
funding.
Tommy Thompson, the new
secretary of Health and Human Services that oversees
NIH, said he is
reviewing the policy on embryonic stem cells research.
Some researchers
have sought NIH funds to conduct embryonic stem cell
studies, but no grants
have been issued, said McKay.
More than 1 million Americans have been
diagnosed with Parkinson's, a disease
caused by the death of brain cells
that produce dopamine, a key nerve
chemical. When patients lose about 80
percent of these cells, they develop
the classic Parkinson's symptoms:
tremors and rigidity.
Parkinson's can be treated with L-dopa, a drug
that makes dopamine in the
brain. But L-dopa is effective for only a short
time and after that the
disease progresses.
Limited experiments
using brain cells from aborted fetuses have stabilized
patients for up to 12
years, Isacson said. The transplanted cells convert to
dopamine-producing
cells, replacing those lacking in patients with
Parkinson's.
But
using tissue from aborted fetuses in research also is opposed by many
groups. And because of limited availability and for technical reasons, fetal
tissue is not considered ideal for treating Parkinson's.
The best
hope, said the researchers, are the embryonic stem cells. These are
master
cells that can be coaxed to transform into virtually any type of
tissue in
the body.
Embryonic stem cells can be grown in great numbers, making
them readily
available for treating thousands of patients, the researchers
said.
''You can generate embryonic stem cells with huge efficiencies,''
said McKay.
McKay said his lab has found ways to cause mouse embryonic
stem cells to
change into the dopamine-producing cells lacking in
Parkinson's.
''We can take the embryonic stem cells through a series of
transitions until
they become the dopamine cells,'' said McKay.
Isacson said his lab injects into the brain specific cells extracted
from the
embryo and that a natural process in the brain then transforms them
into
dopamine producers.
''The cells organize themselves to become
very functional,'' he said. ''We
see the cells behaving in a way to reverse
the symptoms (of Parkinson's) in
the mouse and rat.''
AP-NY-02-16-01 1625EST
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press. The information contained in the
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distributed
without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All
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