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Hi Judith and Gail , This is a breakthrough finding and a great promise for the cure of PD . Thanks . Gail Vass wrote: > Online edition of India's National Newspaper on indiaserver.com > March 22, 2001 > > Stem cells reverse damage > > STEM CELLS in the brain were able to repair damaged areas and restore > function when stimulated by a growth- inducing protein, study by > researchers at UC Irvine's College of Medicine has found. > > Study, conducted in rats shows that adult brain stem cells can develop > into nerve cells in adult animals, leading to replacement of damaged > brain tissue. > > If the results can be replicated in humans, they may result in new and > natural stem-cell based treatments for stroke, nervous system and spinal > cord injury and diseases likeParkinson's and Alzheimer's that are marked > by degeneration of nerve cells. The study appeared in Proceedings of the > National Academy of Sciences. > > James Fallon, professor of anatomy and neurobiology along with his > colleagues at UCI and researchers at Stem Cell Pharmaceuticals found > that injecting a human protein called transforming growth factor-alpha > (TGF-a) into damaged areas of the brain stimulated stem cells to > multiply, migrate and differentiate into a massive number of normal, > fully developed nerves. > > These cells were then able to repair damage and restore the rats' > movement ability. > > "The stem cells are already in the brain and other organs in small > numbers. > > They can be stimulated in the brain to develop by a growth factor > without the need for transplanting stem cells, embryonic tissue or > altered cells from outside; instead, we've just stimulated cells that > are already there." > > The researchers found that when they injected TGF - a into the > forebrains of rats, only those with damaged tissue showed signs of > significant cell division, cell migration toward depleted and damaged > areas, and specialization of cells into new cells in the brain. > > The new cells appeared to be drawn into damaged areas, replacing > destroyed cells. > > Scientists think that the process of stem-cell stimulation may occur > naturally to replace damaged brain tissue. > > But when a large brain injury, stroke or degenerative disease like > Alzheimer's strikes, the brain's natural repair mechanism may not be > able to keep up with so much damage. > > Adding more natural growth factors like TGF-a to damaged areas may > provide the necessary boost. Stem cells exist in relatively large > numbers in embryos but decrease dramatically just before birth and are > rare in the adult brain. > > During development, stem cells divide, migrate to specific parts of the > body and develop into all specialized cells of the body, such as the > brain, liver, hair and skin. > > All fully functioning cells ultimately arise from stem cells, which > researchers recently have been studying in order to harness the cells' > ability to develop into any of a large number of cells. > > Copyrights © 2001 The Hindu & indiaserver.com, Inc. > -- > Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada Cheers, [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn