Return-Path: <[log in to unmask]> Received: from rly-xb04.mx.aol.com (rly-xb04.mail.aol.com [172.20.105.105]) by air-xb05.mail.aol.com (v77_r1.21) with ESMTP; Tue, 13 Mar 2001 17:30:27 -0500 Received: from barry.mail.mindspring.net (barry.mail.mindspring.net [207.69.200.25]) by rly-xb04.mx.aol.com (v77_r1.21) with ESMTP; Tue, 13 Mar 2001 17:29:22 -0500 Received: from j28310b (user-2iveb7u.dialup.mindspring.com [165.247.44.254]) by barry.mail.mindspring.net (8.9.3/8.8.5) with SMTP id RAA00189 for <[log in to unmask]>; Tue, 13 Mar 2001 17:29:11 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <001b01c0ac0d$139ecb20$fe2cf7a5@j28310b> From: "Renay Crooms" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Fw: PDF"s Fetal Cell Transplantation Statement for the Listserv Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 17:29:31 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0018_01C0ABE3.2A102180" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2615.200 ------=_NextPart_000_0018_01C0ABE3.2A102180 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Renay Crooms=20 To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2001 5:28 PM Subject: PDF"s Fetal Cell Transplantation Statement for the Listserv Mary, As I said in the answering service message I left you this evening, I simpl= y can not seem to gain access to the Listserv. Would you please post the f= ollowing message to the Parkinson's Listserv for me. I will call you tomorrow morning. Thanks. Renay To the Listserv, Many of you will already have read or heard about the new research report on= fetal cell transplantation that appeared in the March 8th edition of the pr= estigious New England Journal of Medicine. The disappointing findings, aggravated by the negative tone of some of the n= ews reports (including the article that appeared in The New York Times on Ma= rch 8th) will be upsetting to many in our constituency. Dr. Rowland, Presid= ent of the PDF's Board of Directors, and I thought our Foundation could make= a contribution by giving folks some more positive and complete context in w= hich to read these disappointing findings. Hence the attached statement. The fetal cell transplantation news release statement will also be listed on= our website: www.pdf.org. Please call the Parkinson's Disease Foundation at 1-800-457-6676 with any qu= estions. =20 Report of a Study of Fetal Cell Transplantation for Severe Parkinson's Disea= se: A Statement by the Parkinson's Disease Foundation=20 =20 New York, March 8 -- Newspapers today covered an important report on Parkins= on's research undertaken by scientists at the University of Colorado and Col= umbia University and published by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)= . The subject was the first double-blind study to determine whether fetal c= ell transplants can be effective in restoring dopamine function and help pat= ients. What they found was that the benefits were meager and the adverse ef= fects, serious. These results are disappointing to the million or more Amer= icans and their families who live with Parkinson's disease. But the report=20= needs to be seen in context. First, while the study clearly shows that this technique is not ready for w= idespread adoption at this time, it does reveal some useful clues for future= research -- including the finding that dopamine cells can take root, surviv= e and function following a transplant. This finding is important to our ove= rall understanding of the potential for regeneration of damaged dopamine-pro= ducing systems and has implications for future research. =20 Second, the most alarming finding -- the inability of scientists to control=20= the function of the implanted cells in such a way as to keep them from overp= roducing certain chemicals that trigger disturbing involuntary movements --=20= itself presents a challenge to scientists to design new studies of stem cell= biology. These studies should initially be conducted in animals, not in hu= man beings. =20 Third, we must remind ourselves that the process of scientific inquiry is a=20= investigative journey, not a sure destination. Successes are always more we= lcome than setbacks, such as this one, but even setbacks carry crucial lesso= ns for future investigation. =20 Fourth, and this point is especially important for people with Parkinson's,=20= cell transplantation of this kind is only one of several promising avenues f= or new approaches to Parkinson's therapy. Others include gene therapy, the= study of environmental toxins, the investigation of genes associated with P= arkinson's, and the potential of pluripotent stem cells. =20 Finally, and most important, reports such as this one show how vital it is t= hat we continue to explore and support research into the causes and cure of=20= Parkinson's, through basic science and through clinical studies. The path o= f any campaign is inevitably strewn with surprises, not all of them good. O= ur posture when a bump in the road is encountered must be to keep our eye on= the goal: improving scientific understanding of the processes that lead to=20= Parkinson's and exploring therapies that have promise to arrest, relieve and= perhaps even anticipate the disease. As Drs. Gerald Fischbach and Guy McKh= ann (respectively, the former Director and the current clinical director of=20= the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke), wrote in an ed= itorial that appeared in the same edition of the NEJM: "The brain is a most=20= complex structure, so incremental results on the way to cures should are to=20= be welcomed rather than dismissed as less than perfect." At the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, in behalf of our community of people=20= with Parkinson's, this continuing commitment to research of the highest cali= ber will remain our beacon and our resolve. =20 =20 Lewis P. Rowland, M.D., President =20 ------=_NextPart_000_0018_01C0ABE3.2A102180 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>----- Original Message -----=20 <DIV><B>From:</B> <A href=3D"mailto:[log in to unmask]" [log in to unmask] rg>Renay Crooms</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>To:</B> <A href=3D"mailto:[log in to unmask]" [log in to unmask] om>[log in to unmask]</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, March 13, 2001 5:28 PM</DIV> <DIV><B>Subject:</B> PDF"s Fetal Cell Transplantation Statement for the=20 Listserv</DIV></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Mary,</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>As I said in the answering service message=20= I left=20 you this evening, I simply can not seem to gain access to the=20 Listserv. Would you please post the following message to the=20 Parkinson's Listserv for me.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I will call you tomorrow morning.</FONT></D= IV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Thanks.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Renay</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>To the Listserv,</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Many of you will already have read or heard= about=20 the new research report on fetal cell transplantation that appeared in the M= arch=20 8th edition of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The disappointing findings, aggravated by t= he=20 negative tone of some of the news reports (including the article that appear= ed=20 in The New York Times on March 8th) will be upsetting to many in our=20 constituency. Dr. Rowland, President of the PDF's Board of Directors,=20= and=20 I thought our Foundation could make a contribution by giving folks some more= =20 positive and complete context in which to read these disappointing=20 findings. Hence the attached statement.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The fetal cell transplantation news release= =20 statement will also be listed on our website: <A href=3D"http://www.pdf.or= g">www.pdf.org</A>.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Please call the Parkinson's Disease Foundat= ion at=20 1-800-457-6676 with any questions.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> =20 <DIV class=3DSection1> <P align=3Dcenter class=3DMsoNormal><B><SPAN >Report of a Study of Fetal Ce= ll Transplantation for=20 Severe Parkinson’s Disease:</SPAN></B><SPAN ><?xml:namespace prefix=20= =3D o ns =3D "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN= ></P> <P align=3Dcenter class=3DMsoNormal><B><SPAN >A Statement by the Parkinson&= #8217;s Disease Foundation=20 <o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN> </SPAN><SPAN > <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN>New York, March 8 -- Newspapers=20 today covered an important report on Parkinson’s research undertaken b= y=20 scientists at the University of Colorado and Columbia University and publish= ed=20 by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).<SPAN > </SPAN>The subj= ect was the first double-blind=20 study to determine whether fetal cell transplants can be effective in restor= ing=20 dopamine function and help patients.<SPAN> =20 </SPAN>What they found was that the benefits were meager and the adverse=20 effects, serious.<SPAN> </SPAN>These results are=20 disappointing to the million or more Americans and their families who live w= ith=20 Parkinson’s disease.<SPAN> </SPAN>But the report=20 needs to be seen in context.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN> </SPAN><SPAN >First, while the study clear= ly shows that this technique=20 is not ready for widespread adoption at this time, it does reveal some usefu= l=20 clues for future research -- including the finding that dopamine cells can t= ake=20 root, survive and function following a transplant.<SPAN > </SPAN>This= finding is important to our overall=20 understanding of the potential for regeneration of damaged dopamine-producin= g=20 systems and has implications for future research.<SPAN > </SPAN><o:p>= </o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN>Second, the most alarming=20 finding -- the inability of scientists to control the function of the implan= ted=20 cells in such a way as to keep them from overproducing certain chemicals tha= t=20 trigger disturbing involuntary movements -- itself presents a challenge to=20 scientists to design new studies of stem cell biology.<SPAN > </SPAN>= These studies should initially be=20 conducted in animals, not in human beings.<SPAN > </SPAN><o:p><= /o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN>Third, we must remind ourselves=20 that the process of scientific inquiry is a investigative journey, not a sur= e=20 destination.<SPAN> </SPAN>Successes are always=20 more welcome than setbacks, such as this one, but even setbacks carry crucia= l=20 lessons for future investigation.<SPAN> =20 </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN>Fourth, and this point is=20 especially important for people with Parkinson’s, cell transplantation= of this=20 kind is only one of several promising avenues for new approaches to Parkinso= n’s=20 therapy.<SPAN> </SPAN>Others include gene=20 therapy, the study of environmental toxins, the investigation of genes=20 associated with Parkinson’s, and the potential of pluripotent stem cel= ls.<SPAN > </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN>Finally, and most important,=20 reports such as this one show how vital it is that we continue to explore an= d=20 support research into the causes and cure of Parkinson’s, through basi= c science=20 and through clinical studies.<SPAN> </SPAN>The=20 path of any campaign is inevitably strewn with surprises, not all of them=20 good.<SPAN> </SPAN>Our posture when a bump in=20 the road is encountered must be to keep our eye on the goal: improving=20 scientific understanding of the processes that lead to Parkinson’s and= exploring=20 therapies that have promise to arrest, relieve and perhaps even anticipate t= he=20 disease.<SPAN> </SPAN>As Drs. Gerald Fischbach=20 and Guy McKhann (respectively, the former Director and the current clinical=20 director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke), wr= ote=20 in an editorial that appeared in the same edition of the NEJM: “The br= ain is a=20 most complex structure, so incremental results on the way to cures should ar= e to=20 be welcomed rather than dismissed as less than perfect.”<o:p></o:p></S= PAN></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN>At the Parkinson’s Disease=20 Foundation, in behalf of our community of people with Parkinson’s, thi= s=20 continuing commitment to research of the highest caliber will remain our bea= con=20 and our resolve.<SPAN> =20 </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV> <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN>Lewis P. Rowland, M.D.,=20 President<SPAN> =20 </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0018_01C0ABE3.2A102180--