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>Date: Tue, 5 May 1998 08:38:21 +0530 (IST) >From: "Ms.S.Agarwal" <sarita> >X-URL: http://www.newswise.com/articles/PARKIN.AAS.html >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: PARKIN.AAS.html >X-Status: > > > 16-Apr-98 > > Fetal Pig Cells Transplanted Into the Brain to Treat Parkinson's > Disease > > Library: MED > Keywords: PARKINSON'S DISEASE TRANSPLANTATION FETAL PIG CELLS > NEUROSURGERY AANS > Description: For the first time in medical history, researchers have > transplanted fetal brain cells from pigs into humans to treat a > degenerative disease of the brain. Fetal pig cells have been > transplanted into several patients who suffer from Parkinson's > Disease. Results of this research will be presented at the Annual > Meeting of The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) on > Monday, April 27, 1998 in Philadelphia. > [INLINE] > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > April 14, 1998 > CONTACT: > Barbara Peck > (847) 692-9500 > Fetal Pig Cells Transplanted Into Brain to Treat Parkinson's Disease > For the first time in medical history, researchers have transplanted > fetal brain cells from pigs into humans to treat a degenerative > disease of the brain. Fetal pig cells have been transplanted into > several patients who suffer from Parkinson's Disease. Results of this > research will be presented at the Annual Meeting of The American > Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) on Monday, April 27, 1998 > in Philadelphia. > This research marks the first time brain cells from an animal have > been transplanted into a human. Investigators will present the one > year follow-up data on 12 patients who have had moderate to severe > Parkinson's Disease for an average of 13.9 years and received the > treatment. > "We are very excited about this research because our results have been > positive and this method of treatment has the potential to help not > only Parkinson's patients, but also patients with other degenerative > brain diseases like Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Lou Gehrig's > Diseases," neurosurgeon James Schumacher, MD, who is the primary > author of the paper being presented at the AANS Annual Meeting, said. > Parkinson's Disease affects over 1 million people in the United States > and is characterized by tremor, slowness in movement, difficulty > walking, balance problems, difficulty writing and holding objects. > Prominent suffers of the disease include Pope John Paul II, US > Attorney General Janet Reno, and boxer Muhammed Ali. > Parkinson's Disease is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. > Normally, the substantia nigra part of the brain produces two > chemicals, dopamine and acetylcholine, in equal amounts. These > chemicals are called neurotransmitters and are sent to the striatum, > another part of the brain, that controls movement and balance. When > the body wants to make a movement, anything from walking to picking up > a cup of coffee, the striatum releases these neurotransmitters through > the nervous system to the appropriate muscles, producing smooth, > coordinated movement within a fraction of a second. > In Parkinson's Disease, the cells in the brain that produce dopamine > begin to die, leading to an imbalance between the two > neurotransmitters. This imbalance causes the shaking, hesitant > movements that characterize Parkinsonian patients. Researchers do not > know the cause of Parkinson's Disease. > "Parkinson's Disease comes on slowly and at first may be as simple as > an annoying shaking in the hands," said Douglas Kondziolka, MD, > Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh and a > leading expert in Parkinson's Disease treatment. "But as time goes on, > patients cannot write, cannot drink from a glass and have great > difficulty in producing the muscle movements needed to walk." > Treatment for Parkinson's Disease traditionally has included > medications to reduce the amount of acetylcholine in the brain or to > force the remaining cells to produce more dopamine than normal to > restore the balance. In recent years, surgical techniques such as > pallidotomy, thalamotomy and deep brain stimulation, have > significantly reduced the symptoms of Parkinson's in patients who did > not respond to drug therapy or who have become resistant to the > medications. These surgical procedures involve making lesions, or > cuts, in specific parts of the brain in order to prevent the symptoms > of Parkinson's Disease, such as tremor. > "With cell transplantation, instead of deconstructing, we are > reconstructing," Dr. Schumacher said. "The cells we implant are > actually producing dopamine and, therefore, are repairing the brain, > not just the helping to rebalance neural activity." > In cell transplantation, cells are taken from fetal, or unborn, > developing, pigs and are transplanted into a human brain. These cells > are primitive and are not fully developed. > "The timing is extremely important," Dr. Schumacher said. "We need the > cells to be primitive so they are not yet developing dopamine, but > they have to be just about ready to start. At the point we take the > cells, they have not yet been differentiated from human brain cells." > Transplanting human fetal cells has been researched is also being > studied, but the lack of availability of these cells have hampered > these efforts. In Dr. Schumacher's research, both fetal pig cells and > patients were treated with anti-rejection methods and no overt signs > of rejection or untoward events have been seen. Heart valves from pigs > have been used for human transplantation in the past with significant > success and little rejection problems. > "This research is a stepping stone and is something that we will > continue to investigate more thoroughly over the next few years," Dr. > Schumacher said. > # # # > To view the entire 1998 AANS Annual Meeting press kit, please visit > the on-line Press Room located in the Virtual Exhibit Hall: > http://server400.aans.org/VEH/mainhall2.html > Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, The American > Association of Neurological Surgeons is a scientific and educational > association, with approximately 5,000 members in the United States, > Canada, Mexico, Europe and the Pacific Rim. It is dedicated to > advancing the specialty of neurological surgery in order to provide > the highest quality of neurosurgical care to the public. All active > members must be certified by the American Board of Neurological > Surgery. > For more information on The American Association of Neurological > Surgeons, please visit our Web site: www.neurosurgery.org > # # # > [INLINE] > > SciNews-MedNews Menu | LifeNews Menu | BizNews Menu > Search Any Library | Newswise Home > Use your browser's "Back" button to return to the article list. > > Sarita mailto:[log in to unmask]