A human trial in Japan tests the treatment of iPS cells for Parkinson's disease – Health



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Japanese researchers announced Monday the first human trial using a sort of stem cell to treat Parkinson's disease, building on previous animal testing

The research team of Kyoto University plans to inject five million induced pluripotent stem cells The university said in a press release that iPS cells from healthy donors would be transformed into brain cells that produce dopamine, which is not the case. is not the case.

Parkinson's disease is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder that affects the motor system of the body, often causing tremors and other movement difficulties.

Around the world, about 10 million people have the disease. at the Parkinson's Disease Foundation.

Currently available therapies "improve symptoms without slowing or stopping the progression of the disease," says the foundation.

new research aims to actively reverse the disease.

The clinical trial with seven participants aged between 50 and 69 will begin Wednesday.

The university will monitor the conditions of patients for two years after the operation.

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The human trial comes after an earlier trial involving monkeys.

Researchers reported last year that primates with Parkinson's symptoms found significant mobility.

They also confirmed that iPS cells did not transform into tumors in the two years following implantation.

iPS cells are created by stimulating mature cells, already specialized, in a juvenile state – fundamental cloning without the need for an embryo.

These can be derived from the patient, which makes them less likely to be rejected, while also avoiding the ethical scruples of taking embryo cells.

Cells can be transformed into different types of cells, and their use is a key area of ​​medical research.

In 2014, Riken, a research institution supported by the Japanese government, performed first surgery to implant iPS cells to treat a patient with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common medical disorder leading to blindness in the elderly.

The University of Osaka also plans a clinical trial to treat heart failure a sheet of heart muscle cells created from iPS cells

In the United States, scientists from Duke University said in January that it was successful for the first time to grow functional human muscle from iPS cells in the laboratory. , s, id) {
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