Stem cell treatment improves motor function in monkeys modeling Parkinson’s Disease

Neurodegenerative diseases impact millions of people worldwide with the risk of being affected by one of these diseases increasing as you get older. For many of these diseases, there are very few treatments available to patients. As life expectancy increases and the population continues to age, it is crucial to try and find treatments that … Continue reading Stem cell treatment improves motor function in monkeys modeling Parkinson’s Disease

CIRM Funded Trial for Parkinson’s Treats First Patient

Dr. Krystof Bankiewicz Brain Neurotherapy Bio, Inc. (BNB) is pleased to announce the treatment of the first patient in its Parkinson’s gene therapy study.  The CIRM-funded study, led by Dr. Krystof Bankiewicz, is one of the 64 clinical trials funded by the California state agency to date. Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative movement disorder that affects … Continue reading CIRM Funded Trial for Parkinson’s Treats First Patient

Japanese scientists implant first Parkinson’s patient with replacement neurons derived from stem cells

Currently, more than 10 million people worldwide live with Parkinson’s disease (PD). By 2020, in the US alone, people living with Parkinson’s are expected to outnumber the cases of multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig’s disease combined. There is no cure for Parkinson’s and treatment options consist of medications that patients ultimately develop tolerance … Continue reading Japanese scientists implant first Parkinson’s patient with replacement neurons derived from stem cells

Hey, what’s the big idea? CIRM Board is putting up more than $16.4 million to find out

When you have a life-changing, life-threatening disease, medical research never moves as quickly as you want to find a new treatment. Sometimes, as in the case of Parkinson’s disease, it doesn’t seem to move at all. At our Board meeting last week David Higgins, our Board member and Patient Advocate for Parkinson’s disease, made that … Continue reading Hey, what’s the big idea? CIRM Board is putting up more than $16.4 million to find out

Could the Answer to Treating Parkinson’s Disease Come From Within the Brain?

Sometimes a solution to a disease doesn’t come in the form of a drug or a stem cell therapy, but from within ourselves. Yesterday, scientists from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden reported an alternative strategy for treating Parkinson’s disease that involves reprogramming specific cells in the brain into the nerve cells killed off by the … Continue reading Could the Answer to Treating Parkinson’s Disease Come From Within the Brain?

Approach that inspires DREADD could create new way to treat Parkinson’s disease

Dopamine producing brain nerve cells, made from embryonic stem cells Imagine having a treatment for Parkinson’s that acts like a light switch, enabling you to turn it on or off depending on your needs. Well, that’s what researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have come up with. And if it works, it might help change … Continue reading Approach that inspires DREADD could create new way to treat Parkinson’s disease

Bringing down the gatekeeper for a stem cell-based Parkinson’s cure

On the surface, a stem cell-based cure for Parkinson’s disease seems pretty straight-forward. This age-related neurodegenerative disorder, which leads to progressively worsening tremors, slowness of movement and muscle rigidity, is caused by the death of a specific type of nerve cell, or neuron, that produces the chemical dopamine in a specific region of the brain. … Continue reading Bringing down the gatekeeper for a stem cell-based Parkinson’s cure