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Adult
neural stem cells taken from a Parkinson's disease patient's
own central nervous system can be used in their treatment
for the disease, according to researchers at Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center.
The study,
presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the American Association
of Neurological Surgeons, consisted of isolating adult neural
stem cells, inducing them to become dopamine-secreting neurons,
and delivering them back to the patient. Dopamine is the crucial
neurotransmitter that is lacking in patients with Parkinson's
disease.
"Previous
animal studies have already indicated that transplantation
of neural stem cells and stem cell-derived neurons not only
reverses the effects of dopamine cell loss in the Parkinson's
disease rat, but also reveals evidence of long-term survival,"
said Dr. Michel F. Levesque, neurosurgeon at Cedars-Sinai
Medical Center."Neural transplantation for Parkinson's
disease focuses on replacing the loss of essential neurons."
The study
followed a 57-year old patient with Parkinson's disease, diagnosed
at age 46. The man was treated with drugs that stimulated
the production of dopamine, which improved his symptoms at
first but the patient's symptoms eventually got worse. Doctors
then performed brain surgery on the patient to retrieve stem
cells from his cortex, preparing the cells for transplantation
that would occur several months later.
In the
follow-up of the patient after the stem cells were transplanted,
researchers found that his motor scores improved by 37 percent
during the first three months which he was still on medication.
There was also a 55.6 increase in dopamine production. After
one year, the patient's condition improved by 83 percent during
which time the patient was off medication, using the Unified
Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. The follow-up testing of
the patient was performed by neurologists who were unaware
of the transplantation.
"One
of the most significant findings of this study was the patient's
continued clinical improvement over time," said Levesque.
"After six months of the transplantation, we observed
a progressive regression of motor deficits."
This type
of stem cell transplantation has several advantages over other
treatments. It eliminates immune reactions at the site of
where the cells are implanted, improving the implanted cells'
chances of survival. The procedure also minimizes the risk
of transmission of infectious disease by not requiring the
use of immunosuppressant drugs or steroids. Also, the treatment
does not involve the controversial use of fetal tissue or
embryonic cells.
"This
form of treatment has the potential for making neural stem
cell therapy acceptable and available to a large number of
patients," said Levesque.
Source:
Medical Week staff,
week of April 14, 2002
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