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
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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
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?
Bringing down the gatekeeper for a stem cell-based Parkinson’s cure
University of Buffalo researchers converted these dopamine neurons directly from human skin cells. Image shows a protein found only in neurons (red) and an enzyme that synthesizes dopamine (green). Cell DNA is labeled in blue. On the surface, a stem cell–based cure for Parkinson’s disease seems straightforward. Parkinson’s causes tremors, slowed movement, and muscle rigidity. This … Continue reading Bringing down the gatekeeper for a stem cell-based Parkinson’s cure