Science 11 April 2008:
Vol. 320. no. 5873, p. 167
DOI: 10.1126/science.320.5873.167a
News of the Week
PARKINSON'S DISEASE:
Signs of Disease in Fetal Transplants
Greg Miller
In the 1990s, an experimental treatment for Parkinson's disease raised
hopes that the devastating movement disorder might be on the verge of
yielding to modern medicine. Doctors reported that by extracting
dopamine-producing neurons from aborted fetuses and injecting them into
the brain to replace neurons destroyed by the disease, they were able to
restore some patients' mobility. But despite its early promise, the
procedure has had a contentious history. From the start, abortion foes
objected to using fetal tissue, and two high-profile clinical trials
later found that the surgery offered little to no benefit and appeared
to cause involuntary movements in some patients.
New studies add another wrinkle to this complex story, revealing that
implants can survive a decade or more but in some cases appear to
acquire signs of Parkinson's disease--a surprising finding that could
shed light on the disease's mechanisms.
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