US scientists have managed to improve the symptoms of rats with Parkinson’s disease by giving them a transplant of neurons derived from embryonic mouse stem cells. Researchers at the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders found that the transplanted cells were able to produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, levels of which are severely depleted in people suffering from Parkinson’s. Although the findings are preliminary, they prove that it is possible to produce dopamine-producing neurons from embryonic stem cells, and that such techniques could possibly used to treat humans with Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.bbc.co.uk on the 20th June 2002
