NEW HOPE FOR PARKINSON’S

Parkinson’s disease is difficult to treat. It damages neurons in the brain that produce dopamine, a chemical that transmits signals between nerve cells. Patients are typically treated with drugs that increase dopamine production. “Those drugs work well for many patients, but the effect doesn’t last,” says Marina Emborg, a Parkinson’s researcher at University of Wisconsin-Madison National Primate Research Center. In an encouraging development, University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientist Su-Chun Zhang has found that grafting neurons from one’s own cells may relieve the debilitating movement and depression symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease.

“The idea is very simple,” says Zhang. “When you have stem cells, you can generate the right type of target cells in a consistent manner. And when they come from the individual you want to graft them into, the body recognises and welcomes them as their own.” The application is not so simple. However, the research continues into developing the practice, with early results looking promising.