Pay attention to this, this may have implications for PD.
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Nerve Growth Factor Gene Transfer Attempted in
Alzheimer's Disease Patient
WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Apr 10 - The first-ever attempt to implant
genetically modified
tissue into the brain of a patient with early Alzheimer's disease was
announced at a press conference
Tuesday in La Jolla, California.
The 11-hour procedure that took place on April 5 involved implanting
autologous fibroblasts
engineered to produce nerve growth factor (NGF) into the nucleus basalis of
Meynert of the
60-year-old woman.
Project leader Dr. Mark H. Tuszynski of the University of California at San
Diego and the Veteran's
Administration, explained in a comment to Reuters Health that the targeted
region in the brain
"helps regulate the function of all cells throughout the brain, which in
turn affects a number of
higher intellectual functions."
While the technique is not considered a cure for Alzheimer's disease, Dr.
Tuszynski is optimistic that
the NGF-producing cells will take over the role of failing cells and delay
the rapid decline in brain
function associated with the disease. "The hope is to prevent ongoing cell
loss in the brain of
Alzheimer's disease patients and possibly improve the functioning of
remaining cells," he said.
Tuesday, 5 days after the surgery, Dr. Tuszynski said that "the patient
came through the surgery
extremely well and she was released 48 hours after the procedure."
This was the first of eight scheduled surgeries in the phase I clinical
trial designed to evaluate the
safety of the procedure. "The next surgery is scheduled to take place 3
months from now, and we
have a patient already selected. We are still waiting to select the other
six patients," Dr. Tuszynski
said.
Dr. Tuszynski also noted that "this approach is based on 15 years of
research," and is built on "a
very firm foundation of scientific evidence." Preclinical research has
shown that NGF "substantially
prevents the death of cells in the brain — it reverses the atrophy that
happens during the aging
process."
Ray Strand
Prairie Sky Design
-----------------( on the Edge of the Prairie Abyss )---------------
when the sky is clear
the ground is visible
49/dx PD 2 yrs/40? onset
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