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Stem Cells Transplanted into the Brain to Treat Parkinson's Disease & nbsp | & nbspPhoto Photo: & nbspThinkstock
Tokyo: Japanese researchers announced Friday that they have transplanted stem cells into a patient's brain in the early stages of an innovative trial to cure Parkinson's disease. The research team at Kyoto University has injected inducing pluripotent stem cells (iPS) into the brain of a 50-year-old patient, potentially transformed into body cells, the university said in a statement. Press release. 19659004] The man was stable after the operation, which took place last month, and he will now be monitored for two years, the university added. The researchers injected 2.4 million iPS cells into the left side of the patient's brain, during an operation that lasted for about three hours.
If no problem is observed over the next six months, they will implant an additional 2.4 million cells in the right side. . Healthy donor iPS cells have been transformed into precursors of dopamine-producing brain cells, which are no longer present in people with Parkinson's disease.
The operation took place after the university announced in July that she would be testing with seven participants aged 50 to 69 years old. It is the first to involve stem cells in the brain to treat Parkinson's disease.
"I appreciate patients for their participation in the trial with courage and determination," Professor Jun Takahashi of Kyoto University told reporters on Friday, according to NHK public broadcaster .
Parkinson's disease is a chronic degenerative neurological disorder that affects the motor system of the body, often causing tremors and other movement difficulties. According to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, about 10 million people worldwide have the disease.
Currently available treatments "improve symptoms without slowing or stopping the progression of the disease," says the foundation. The human test took place after a previous test on monkeys.
The researchers announced last year that primates with Parkinson's symptoms had regained significant mobility after inserting iPS cells into their brains.
They also confirmed that iPS cells did not turn into tumors. during the two years after implantation. IPS cells are created by stimulating mature, already specialized cells in a juvenile state – essentially, cloning without the use of an embryo.
Cells can be transformed into a range of different cell types, and their use is a key area of medical research.
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