Excerpt from the December 1996 Parkinson's Action Network "Action Reporter", an Advocacy Report for the Parkinson's Community- Researchers Modify a Virus to Activate New Genes in Neural Cells Scientists have begun testing genetically engineered viruses to penetrate the brain's protective barriers and infuse ailing dopamine cells with new genes to restore their health. In one example at November's Society for Neuroscience meeting, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and Rockefeller University researchers described success in using a modified virus, called an "adeno-associated vector," to inject genes into an animal brain, producing evidence that new genes are activated inside nerve cells. The researchers eliminated most of the common toxic and inflammatory side effects of the virus, but acknowledged that the virus still provokes an immune response, as if it were an infectious disease. Parkinson's Action Network 800-850-4726 Headquarters: 818 College Ave., Suite C Santa Rosa, CA 95404 phone 707-544-1994 fax 707-544-2363 email: [log in to unmask] Washington, DC office 601 13th St. NW., Suite 310 Washington, DC 20005 phone 202-628-2079 fax 202-628-2077 Brad Udall, Chair Joan I. Samuelson, President John L. Dodge, Treasurer Bonnie K. Mioduchoski, Administrator Michael Claeys, Community Coordinator The Action Reporter is a free publication of the Parkinson's Action Network, a non-profit charitable foundation for a cure for Parkinson's. Use of this material in other publications is welcomed. We ask that the Network be identified as the source of the material, and notified how, when and where the material is used. Simply call 800-850-4726