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Studies Find Parkinson's Disease Also Effects Transplanted Tissue April 6 2008 - Results of 2 new studies released today find that transplanting stem cells into patients with Parkinson's disease does not help to treat the condition April 6 2008 - Results of 2 new studies released today find that transplanting stem cells into patients with Parkinson's disease does not help to treat the condition. Parkinson's disease is a disease that attacks the central nervous system. There is currently no cure for it. It is caused by a significant loss of dopamine, which is responsible for helping to direct movement in the body. One study was performed by a group of researchers from the Wallenberg Neuroscience Center in Lund, Sweden, and one from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. In the Swedish study 2 participants with Parkinson's had fetal nerve tissue grafted to their brains. Researchers noted that over time, their disease started to effect the new tissue in a negative way. ``Our results suggest that grafted cells can be affected by the disease process and thereby might limit the long-term clinical benefit of these treatment approaches,'' according to the authors of the Rush University study. ``It is unclear whether a similar fate would befall stem cell grafts, the next generation of cell replacement procedures.'' In the Rush University study, researchers noted that after the grafting was complete, generally the symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease diminished resulting in fewer doses of medicine needing to be administered. According to the National Parkinson Foundation, people usually begin to exhibit symptoms of the condition when they reach 60 years of age and up. Usually 1 out of 100 people who exhibit symptoms of the disease actually have it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn