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Excellent 'half full' mail Linda..! Thanks for this ;-) Nic 57/15 On Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 12:02 AM, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > I think the promise of cell replacement for PD – depends on who you are > reading…. > Science aside, opinions on cell replacement therapy (and future research > funding) may be influenced by the wording of the the trial results. One can > look at tissue transplants as a “failure” because after 14-16 years there > was evidence of cell damage or as a “success “ because there was also > evidence that transplanted neurons survived for up to 14 years and trial > participants did “ experience some long time relief of their PD symptoms.” > Questioons to ask -- > What is highlighted in the articles – the pathology or the relief of > symptoms, even if limited ? Whose opinions are we reading? Are there any > possible conflicts of interest noted by the researchers? who should receive > the limited funding? > > For example Published in April 2008 Nature Medicine were a series of > communications on the Lewy body-like pathology found in the brains of some > fetal tissue transplant trial participants. > > Written by Jeffrey H Kordower, Yaping Chu, Robert A Hauser, Thomas B > Freeman & C Warren Olanow > Title: “Lewy body–like pathology in long-term embryonic nigral transplants > in Parkinson’s disease" > > In the same issue of Nature medicine, Dr. Ole Isacson, and his team report > that > "Dopamine neurons implanted into people with Parkinson’s disease survive > without pathology for 14 years." (Title) > > Another letter by Olle Lindval et al stated “,,available data suggest that > the majority of grafted cells are functionally unimpaired after a decade, > and recipients can still experience long-term symptomatic relief.” > > Another report by Isacson’s team from Aug 2009 Journal of Neurology: > . 2009 Aug;256 Suppl 3:310-6. > Title: Lack of functional relevance of isolated cell damage in transplants > of Parkinson's disease patients. > Cooper O, Astradsson A, Hallett P, Robertson H, Mendez I, Isacson O. > “Abstract :Postmortem analyses from clinical neural transplantation trials > of several subjects with Parkinson's disease revealed surviving grafted > dopaminergic neurons after more than a decade. A subset of these subjects > displayed isolated dopaminergic neurons within the grafts that contained > Lewy body-like structures. In this review, we discuss why this isolated cell > damage is unlikely to affect the overall graft function and how we can use > these observations to help us to understand age-related neurodegeneration > and refine our future cell replacement therapies.” Even if not a cure 10 + > years of symptomatic relief sounds darn good to me > More questions--What do the trial results mean to real patients? > Is the glass half empty or half full? Linda > > > www.pdpipeline.org > > ---------- Original Message ---------- > From: Mary Ann Ryan <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: DOPAMINERGIC TRANSPLANTS FAIL IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE > Date: Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:09:23 -0500 > > Wow! This is not good news. Everyone thought that cell based therapies > were going to be the answer to PD. I'm speechless. > --------- > Mary Ann > www.bentwillowfarm.org > > For years, cell-based therapies that involve the transplantation of > > dopaminergic cells in to the brain have attracted considerable interest > as > > possible treatments for Parkinson's Disease. However, all of the > > double-blind, > > sham-controlled, studies have failed to meet their hoped for efficacy. > > Transplantation of dopamine cells derived from the fetal mesencephalon is > > also > > associated with a potentially disabling form of dyskinesia that persists > > even > > after withdrawal of L-dopa. In addition, disability in advanced patients > > primarily results from features that are not primarily due to > insufficient > > dopamine. These features are not adequately controlled with dopaminergic > > therapies and are thus unable to respond to dopaminergic transplants. > > Implanted dopaminergic neurons have also recently been found to contain > > Lewy > > bodies, which are signs of cell damage, suggesting that even after > > transplantation they are dysfunctional and may have been affected by the > > Parkinson's Disease process. Although stem cell therapies have been tried > > in > > Parkinson's Disease based on the claim that there is a massive loss of > > dopamine producing cells in Parkinson's Disease, not a single study has > > ever > > shown this to be true. > > > > > > viartis.net > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > > mailto:[log in to unmask] > > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto: > [log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto: > [log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn