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Results so far have been encouraging. Twelve patients who received the surgery in Phase I trials at the University of California-San Francisco and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago reported a 40 percent improvement in their motor skills. Side effects included mild to moderate temporary dyskinesia, or involuntary movement. This was treated successfully by readjusting the dosage of traditional Parkinson's medications, Boulis said. Another advantage of CERE-120: "You don't have a wire and battery in your body," Boulis said, referring to equipment left over from deep-brain stimulation, another Parkinson's treatment. Fifty-one participants nationwide are being sought for the trial's second phase, and enrollment is still open. Seventeen patients will be part of a control group and not receive CERE-120 initially. In addition to the work in Cleveland, San Francisco and Chicago, trials are taking place in Birmingham, Ala.; New York; Durham, N.C.; Portland, Ore.; Houston; and Philadelphia. "We've got to try every avenue there is, and we've got to try them on people," Brandt said. "Everybody's hoping one of them will break through." To be eligible for the trial, participants must be 35 to 75 years old, have had the disease for five years and have pursued dissimilar treatments without success. Exclusionary factors include atypical forms of the disease, chemotherapy, history of drug or alcohol abuse and the presence of medical conditions that could complicate surgery. The Michael J. Fox Foundation says it has contributed more than $2.6 million in support of the trials. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [log in to unmask], 216-999-3906 Previous | 1 | 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn