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-continued from part3- > > > > Despite successes with the surgery, many questions > remain. Surgeons are not in agreement on the best > sites to implant the fetal cells within the brain or on > how much tissue to use for optimum results. Some > researchers question whether the fetal cells provide > any benefit at all, arguing that the operation itself > may stimulate the regeneration of dying cells, > whether fetal tissues are implanted or not. > To address these questions, NIH earlier this month > awarded a $45-million grant to Freed and his > Colorado colleagues to conduct a controlled clinical > trial of fetal tissue transplants. For the first time, > some patients with receive sham operations-- > identical to the fetal tissue implant, but with saline > solution injected rather than fetal cells--so that > researchers can determine the effects of the surgery > itself. > The team will also graft fetal tissue at different sites > in the brain to learn which location works best. > Freed believes that the study will provide a > blueprint for a uniform, effective way to conduct > the surgery. > But NIH is unlikely to award any other grants in the > near future, researchers say--a situation that is > slowing the use of the procedure. To get around > the money shortfall, some researchers, such as the > Good Samaritan team, are having patients pay for > the surgery themselves, a process that many > physicians consider dubious and some consider > unethical. > Patients are not normally charged for experimental > procedures or drugs; the costs are borne by the > government or the company that developed the > drug or treatment. Ethicists fear that charging > patients biases the results of such trials because > subjects are selected based on their ability to pay > rather than on the appropriateness of the procedure > of the likelihood that they will benefit from it. > "There are major methodological questions that can > only be worked out in a research context [Like > Freed's new study]," Redmond said. > Despite the promise of fetal tissue grafts, some > researchers, such as Dr. Charles Markham of > UCLA, see it "more as a pointer to even better > techniques in the future." Ultimately, they envision > the development of genetically engineered cells that > can be grown in large quantities in the laboratory > and programmed to produce not only larger > quantities of dopamine, but also growth factors that > might stimulate the repair of damaged brain cells. > Several research teams are developing such cells, > but their first use in humans is probably at least two > years off. > Researchers are setting their sights on other > diseases as well. Madrazo has performed fetal > tissue implants on two Huntington's patients. The > surgery has not reversed the disease's symptoms, > he said, but it has significantly slowed the > progression on the disorder in both cases. > European researchers are also very close to fetal > tissue grafts to treat Alzheimer's disease, possibly > within the next couple of months. The widespread > adoption of fetal tissue transplants for other > diseases could change the face of neurosurgery, > experts agree. > But for patients such as Wenc, the future has > arrived. "I have a new lease on life," she said. > > > -finished, end of article- If any parts came out with incomplete sentences or overwriting, please let me know. [log in to unmask] Heidi Hasemann