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Hello all - A major teaching hospital in Boston (In my humble opinion the medical center of the world) is seeking applicants to participate in a new cellular surgical therapy trial for Parkinson's. This project is similar to the so-called "pig cell" study. It is known as the STEPS Trial. This study is designed to test the safety and efficacy of a cell therapy called Spheramine. Like the embryonic pig cell transplantation experiment, cells that make dopamine are surgically implanted into a PD patient's brain in the area called the putamen. The cells used in the Spheramine trial are obtained from the eyes of human cadavers and are called Retinal Pigment epithelial cells (RPE Cells). The cells are first processed so that they are on the surface of microscopic gelatin spheres. They are not stem cells, are not cells from embryos and are not from animals. Spheramine has already been tested in monkeys and the cells produced dopamine after being transplanted. Spheramine has already been tested in 6 PD patients in an open label trial. In this initial safety trial all patients received transplantation of Spheramine into 1 side of the brain. And all were improved in 3 to 9 months. This study was reported by Dr. Ray Watts at the American Academy of Neurology this past year. None of the patients had any side effects and none were treated with immuno-supression drugs. Since the first trial demonstrated safety, a second trial (the STEPS trial) has been started to test the efficacy of Spheramine. This trial is a larger, double-blind, multi-center study. In this particular study participants will either receive transplantation of Spheramine into both sides of the brain OR undergo "sham" (mock) surgery. If this technique proves to be safe and effective, the patients in the mock group will be given the opportunity to receive the "real" therapy. Some of the requirements include the following: Patients must be between 30 and 70 years old. They must have had PD for a minimum of 5 years. Also, they must exhibit a response, either good or bad, to Parkinson's medications. The patient and their caregiver must be willing and able to travel to have the surgery performed and must be able to undergo MRI scanning. Additionally, the patient must NOT have had any prior brain surgery, strokes, seizures, or severe depression or dementia. Recruiting of patients is going on now. If you are aware of any patients who would be interested in participating in this study they can contact Cathi Thomas at Boston University Medical Center - Neurology - Tel (617) 638-7737. Feel free to mention my name. If I can answer any questions you might have please E-mail me directly. Warmly - Jim Finn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn