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Hadn't heard about it, but it sounds wonderful! The slippery slope of fetal cell transplant still concerns me. Bev c/t On Sat, 30 Oct 1999 08:40:17 -0500 "Nancy S. Shlaes" <[log in to unmask]> writes: > Today's Chicago Tribune had a small article (datelined New York) > which > read as follows: > NEW PARKINSON'S IMPLANT THERAPY BUOYS RESEARCHERS > > A new brain implant therapy for Parkinson's disease that doesn't > rely on > human or animal fetal tissue has shown such promising results in > monkeys > that researchers plan to try it soon in humans. > > In seven monkeys with a drug-induced form of Parkinson's, the cell > implants resulted in an improvement in each animal that varied from > 44 > percent to 90 percent within 3 months. > > Richard C. Allen of Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which developed the > therapy said he believes it can bring about "long term, significant > restoration of function" using implants of "readily available human > cells" that could be stored frozen and used as an off-the-shelf > product. > > The cells are dopamine-producing cells that form a pigmented layer > in > the retina of the human eye. Why retina cells produce dopamine, is > not > known. The cells can be obtained from donor eyes at organ banks and > then grown and multiplied in the lab. The cell product is caled > Spheramine. One donor eye could provide enough cells to perform > thousands of implants, Allen said. > > Have any of you heard anything about this? > > Nancy Shlaes deGrazia (62/5)