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THIS IS WONDERFUL NEWS HOWEVER........... HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE BEFORE IT IS FDA APPROVED? On Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:03:37 +0100 "M.Schild" <[log in to unmask]> writes: > Altered cells deliver Parkinson's therapy to brain > Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:17 PM GMT9 > > NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Genetically modified nerve > 'progenitor' cells > can be used as mini-pumps to deliver nerve growth factor to the > brain, a new > study in animals shows. > The results suggest such an approach could be used to treat > Parkinson's > disease and other brain diseases in humans, Dr. Clive D. Svendsen of > the > University of Wisconsin-Madison and colleagues report. > A nerve growth factor called "glial cell line-derived neurotrophic > factor" (abbreviated to GDNF) has been shown to protect > dopamine-producing > neurons, which are lost in Parkinson's disease, Svendsen and his > team note in > the research journal Gene Therapy. > In fact, it's safe to infuse GDNF into brain regions of patients > with > Parkinson's disease, according to some studies, and it seems > effective. > However, delivering the drug in this fashion is complex and only > reaches a > single point in the brain. > In the current study, using rats with symptoms akin to Parkinson's > disease, > the researchers investigated the effect of human neural progenitor > cells > engineered to produce GDNF. > The rats were transplanted with the modified cells, and after two > weeks these > were seen to have migrated to affected areas and to be secreting > enough GDNF > to extend the survival of dopamine neurons and promote outgrowth of > nerve > fibers. > By five weeks post-transplant, the animals showed a "strong trend > toward > functional improvement," and at eight weeks the cells were still > releasing > the growth factor. > Tests in elderly monkeys showed the cells survived and continued to > release > GDNF for three months after transplant. None of the animals in the > studies > developed brain tumors. > Svendsen and his colleagues conclude that their results "show that > combining > human progenitor cell therapy with ... gene therapy is a powerful > approach to > the future treatment of Parkinson's disease and other neurological > conditions." > SOURCE: Gene Therapy, online December 15, 2005. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > Inge Clody Minado, Reg. www.flash.net/~minado1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn