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Donna I would like to be able to say that if both sides of my brain had received Spheramine that I would be near 100% better. However, the answer is "I don't know." In another year we will have statistics from the Phase II patients who did have both sides done.. Also, if a person is at Stage 4 of Parkinson's disease, then 40% improvement would not be 100% better. They would have improved 40% from their baseline results. I am still on medication, but have not had to increase it for 3 years, and I am able to do things I could not prior to surgery, such as turn over in bed at night, get up in the morning and get my own meds, have less "off" time and less severe off time; but I am far from cured. There is so much more than the mere replacement of dopamine because we must find out why our neurons die in the first place, and why they continue to die as we progress. For 3 years I have not gotten worse - but that is just my story. We must allow for the placebo effect with the first 6 because we ALL knew we were receiving the Spheramine. This phase is a double blind study. Spheramine is definitely a move in the right direction. The retinal cells (which are removed from the eye and cultured to grow sufficient numbers for implantation) come from a donor eye. And I understand that one eye can produce enough cells to treat about 10,000 patients! So the supply of needed cells are in abundance. The down side, however, is that it is invasive surgery. There are risks involved, but with PD, in my opinion, it was a risk worth taking. Peggy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donna Thrash" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, February 06, 2004 5:10 AM Subject: Re: Eye cell transplants aid Parkinson's patients > so are you saying if u had both sides done it could be 100% better? thanks..Donna > > > > From: Peggy Willocks <[log in to unmask]> > > Date: 2004/02/06 Fri AM 09:57:35 GMT > > To: [log in to unmask] > > Subject: Re: Eye cell transplants aid Parkinson's patients > > > > Hi Wendy and others interested in te eye cell transplants! > > Dr. Ray Watts was chief investigating doctor in this project. I was one of > > the original six. It has been three yrs since my surgery. The operation is > > stereotactic implantation of RPE (retinal pigmented epithelial) cells into > > the substantia nigra area of the brain. > > > > All 6 original patients have maintained an average of about 40% improvement > > over baseline at the beginning - that's the stats at 2 yrs, so I would call > > it successful. We only had one siide done. no immunosupression drugs are > > required. 68 patients are being recruited foro this phase with about 32 > > already receiving the operation. No reports yet but this group had both > > sides done. Go to clinicaltrials.gov or centerwatch.com and type a search > > for Spheramine or STEPS trials for more info. > > > > I believe it's a therapy showing promiise. > > Peggy > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Wendy Siegel" <[log in to unmask]> > > To: <[log in to unmask]> > > Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2004 12:23 PM > > Subject: Eye cell transplants aid Parkinson's patients > > > > > > > Anybody ever heard of this before? > > > > > > Eye cell transplants aid Parkinson's patients > > > > > > 18.04.2002 > > > 11.00am > > > WASHINGTON - Eye cells transplanted into the brains of Parkinson's > > > patients have markedly improved their symptoms and may provide an > > > alternative to steadily increasing doses of medication, doctors say. > > > > > > The eye cells produce dopamine, the important chemical lacking in the > > > brains of people with Parkinson's, whose disease begins with trembling > > > or stiffness and progresses to a rigidity that leaves them virtually > > > paralysed. > > > > > > Dr Ray Watts, a professor of neurology at Emory University School of > > > Medicine in Atlanta, today said six patients who got the eye cell > > > transplants showed a regression of their symptoms. > > > > > > Full story at: > > > http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=1542293&thesection=ne > > > ws&thesubsection=world&reportid=16 > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > > mailto:[log in to unmask] > > > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn