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Cure for Parkinson's disease in three years ISLAMABAD: A safe treatment for Parkinson's disease could be available in as little as three years, thanks to new research in stem cell therapy. Scientists at Scotland's Roslin Institute have managed for the first time to culture stem cells - which can differentiate themselves into any kind of human cell - without using animal-derived products, the daily Scotsman reported. Earlier, research had demonstrated that stem cells from pigs could help reverse symptoms of Parkinson's disease when implanted in a sufferer's brain. However, this carries the risk of the patient developing a deadly new cross-species disease which has potentially devastating consequences - for example, vCJD, which is a fatal new condition originating in animals. Previously, human stem cells - usually derived from embryos, angering the pro-life lobby - have been grown in a culture of animal tissue, also risking cross-species contamination. But Roslin scientists, led by Paul De Sousa, have managed to culture stem cells from donated embryos - which, in this case, are the "surplus" from fertility treatment - in a medium derived from human tissue, the first time this has been done in the world. They are now looking to create a way of mass-producing stem cells, as millions are required to repair damage to the brain. De Sousa said he believed that, in three to five years, following further research in animals, it should be possible to start implanting human stem cells in patients affected by Parkinson's disease. He said: "We are still away - it's one thing to produce the cells. Now myself and other groups need to be efficiently producing the types of cells in the culture dish that are useful for treatment. "We've got to walk before we can run. We're talking another three to five years before we could be at the point where we have enough pre-clinical animal model data to have some confidence in the cells we can put into people." Producing stem cells without using any animal-derived tissue is a crucial step because it prevents the possibility of cross-species disease. "If stem cells are ever going to be useful for people, we have got to find a way to produce them safely and efficiently," De Sousa said. "For the most part, the state of the field as it had stood was that there was a reliance on either animal cells or products from animal tissues. "We have isolated four (cell lines) to date and one of these four has been isolated in a completely different media - a coating of a human protein, normally found on the outside of cells that helps cells stick together. "There is no direct exposure to animal cells or to animal tissue-derived products such as serum." Pro-life groups have condemned the use of embryos to provide stem cells and have claimed adult stem cells, such as those found in bone marrow, could be used instead. De Sousa said research into the use of adult stem cells - which would mean the patient's own tissue could be used, avoiding immune system problems - should continue. However, given the current level of knowledge, he felt embryonic stem cells were more effective. Last month, another Roslin scientist, Professor Ian Wilmut, who created Dolly the Sheep, was granted a licence to clone human embryos to help further stem cell research. It is thought this could lead to cures for diabetes, quadriplegia and blindness, as well as Parkinson's and other conditions. Robert Meadowcroft, head of policy and information at the Parkinson's Disease Society, said the work at Roslin would hasten the use of stem cell treatment - either as a cure or a therapy - in human patients. "This looks like being a very important piece of work that will potentially shorten the period of time to clinical trials in patients and we very much welcome this research," Meadowcroft said. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn