 |
 |
It seems to me they need to know what causes cells to die in first place, e.g. Dennis Turner scenario Ray Big Step Forward in Stem Cell Treatments for Parkinson's Disease By Brandon Keim June 12, 2007 | 12:32:54 PMCategories: Brain, Medicine & Medical Procedures, Stem Cell Research For the first time, researchers have used stem cells to treat Parkinson's disease in primates. The results were mixed: rather than growing new neurons, the treatment protected damaged cells against further deterioration, and the effect wore off after four months. The researchers speculate this may be to do with the monkeys beginning to reject foreign tissue, and suggested that further research would need to be done suppressing their immune systems. Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research and Development for the Parkinson's Disease Society, urged caution. "These results are from a very early stage pre-clinical trial using an animal model of Parkinson's," he said. Breen and other scientists quoted in the article do a good job of refraining from blue-sky, this-could-revolutionize-medicine promises. But make no mistake: this is a big deal. Previous tests have involved rodents, and future primate studies will likely become even more refined. Stem cell first for Parkinson's [BBC] Image: University of Minnesota ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn