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(NOTE: It appears Bill C-13 in Canada, with Motion 84 and CIHR Regulatory Guidelines would ban importation of this therapy if developed to Human treatment stage ... murray) 14 April 2003 BresaGen Achieves Key Cell Therapy Milestone for Parkinson's Disease Australian biotechnology company BresaGen Ltd today announced that it had achieved a key milestone in the development of a cell therapy treatment for Parkinson’s Disease by demonstrating functional recovery from effects of the disease in a rat model. The company’s scientific team has previously demonstrated the ability to form large numbers of dopaminergic neurons from human Embryonic Stem (ES) cells in vitro. The current breakthrough demonstrates that these cells not only survive in a living body, but are also able to decrease the effects of Parkinson’s Disease in an animal model. The BresaGen team implanted neural cells derived from human ES cells into the brains of rats with lesions that cause Parkinson’s Disease- like effects. Within 8 weeks of implantation these effects were significantly decreased in rats receiving these cell implants when compared with a control group. Examination of the implants revealed the presence of cells producing an enzyme involved in the synthesis of dopamine, the neural transmitter that is markedly decreased in Parkinson’s Disease. These results demonstrate a critical functional proof-of concept which moves the product further along the path towards clinical trials. BresaGen Medical Director, Dr Chris Juttner explained: “This is the first time that reduction of the effects of Parkinson’s Disease has been reported using neural cells derived from human ES cells in a commercially viable way.” BresaGen scientists have developed novel methods for turning human ES cells into neural cells. These proprietary methods have crucial commercial advantages over other methods. The BresaGen method is simple and scalable, allowing neural cells to be readily grown in large numbers while complying with the FDA’s standards of Good Manufacturing Practice. This major development has come at a critical time for BresaGen as the company continues its research in Australia and the United States. BresaGen Chief Executive, Dr John Smeaton said: “We are very excited by this significant achievement which validates the approach we have taken to developing a treatment for Parkinson’s Disease.” http://www.bresagen.com.au/news/PR079.html * * * Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]> http://www.geocities.com/murraycharters/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn