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Caspase Inhibitors Improve Survival Of Transplants Used To Treat Rat Model Of Parkinson's WESTPORT, Jan 19 (Reuters Health) - A synthetic peptide inhibitor of the caspase family of proteases reduces apoptosis and improves the survival of embryonic nigral cell transplants used to treat a rat model of Parkinson's disease, according to findings of a European study published in the January issue of Nature Medicine. Dr. Gabriele S. Schierle, of Lund University in Sweden, with colleagues there and in Germany, explain that treatment with transplanted embryonic neuronal cells is being assessed as potential therapy for Parkinson's disease. They point out that problems associated with this technique include a shortage of human donor tissue and the fact that only 5% to 10% of dopaminergic neurons survive in the transplant recipients. http://ipn.intelihealth.com/ipn/ihtIPN?c=207988 Martin K. Bayne 48/45 [log in to unmask]