A global clinical trial for Parkinson's disease to inject special stem cells directly into patients' brains



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A unique treatment against Parkinson's disease is about to be tested in Japan. The first clinical trial is scheduled to begin August 1st. The Kyoto University Hospital announced on July 30 that the recruitment of patients had begun the same day. at 5 pm Science Magazine

This innovative treatment is based on a particular type of stem cells known as induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS), discovered in 2006 by Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka.

As reported Inquisitr pluripotent stem cells are extremely versatile and have the advantage of evolving into any type of cells once transplanted into the body. But while it's usually embryonic stem cells (used for a wide range of medical applications), Yamanaka has found a way to manipulate adult stem cells and infect them with a virus that restores them to their immature state

. eliminates the need to use embryonic stem cells in medical research, earned Yamanaka a Nobel Prize in 2012 and is now used in a series of clinical trials involving brain tumors and repair of damaged hearts , New Atlas The same technology is also the basis of this new treatment for Parkinson's disease, which aims to convert millions of iPS cells into dopaminergic progenitors – neurons capable of generating the dopaminergic neurotransmitter in the body. brain and replenish low levels of dopamine. for the onset of symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

The reprogrammed cells must be injected directly into the patients' brains with the aid of a specialized device that requires the drilling of two 12 mm (0.5 in) holes in the skull.

Jun Takahashi, of the Center for Research and Application of iPS Cells at Kyoto University, leads the clinical trials of disruption.

The neurosurgeon plans to test the treatment of Parkinson's stem cells in seven patients and transplant about five million iPS cells into a specific area of ​​the brain called the putamen – a large, round structure at the base of the forebrain that regulates movement of limbs, explains Healthline .

Last year, Takahashi reported promising results in the treatment of iPS cells in the journal Nature following a two-year study of monkeys with Parkinson's disease. According to the results, the animals experienced a significant improvement after receiving injections with human iPS cells – thus propelling the treatment into human trials.

Good that Yamanaka's technology allows researchers to manufacture patient-specific iPS cells by harvesting adult stem cells from each test subject to minimize the risk of transplant rejection, CiRA chose to use iPS cell stocks taken from healthy donors with specific cell types less likely to cause immune rejection, note Science Magazine

"By using cell stocks, we can proceed much faster and more cost-effectively," he said. Yamanaka in a statement of 2017.

At that time, his technology had just been reported safe in an essay for patients with macular degeneration related to the disease. age, directed by the wife of Jun Takahashi, Masayo Takahashi of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, and described in the review Science . As an additional precaution against transplant rejection, patients with Parkinson's disease will also receive a drug called tacrolimus, designed to suppress the immune response and prevent the body from attacking iPS cells

  embryonic stem cells
] embryonic stem cells.

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About 1 million Americans and 9 million people worldwide are currently struggling with Parkinson's disease, reports Newsweek citing The Parkinson's Foundation. This degenerative neurological disease is triggered by a lack of dopamine in the brain and causes a decrease in motor skills, resulting in walking difficulties and involuntary tremor in the hands and feet.

Although Parkinson's symptoms usually occur in older adults, cases where the disease has been diagnosed in younger people. Such was the case of actor Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's at the age of 29, Inquisitr recently reported.

Other celebrities who have struggled with this debilitating illness include Robin Williams, Neil Diamond, Muhammad Ali and Alan Alda, who announced this morning that he had been suffering from Parkinson's for three and a half years , according to a report Inquisitr ! (1965, p., T, s) {if (f.fbq) returns; n = f.fbq = function () {n.callMethod?
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