Embryonic Stem Cells May Cure Parkinson’s

A Korean research team has used reportedly genetically modified human embryonic stem cells to cure Parkinson’s disease in rat experiments.

A Korean research team has used reportedly genetically modified human embryonic stem cells to cure Parkinson’s disease in rat experiments. The Korea Times reported a Seoul-based research institute led by Park Se-pill said Tuesday it accomplished the medical breakthrough after a two-year government-funded study. If further tests on monkeys at Emory University in Atlanta prove successful, clinical trials may be possible in humans. Park told the Korea Times, “We are confident there will be positive results in the U.S. and our findings will open a new era in healing brain-related diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.” Park’s research team injected two genes related to generating dopamine into human embryonic stem cells, and then implanted them into the brains of rats that suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Normal muscle movement returned six weeks after the surgery, according to the study published in Neuroscience Letters.(Source: United Press International, MEDLINE Plus, Dec 2003)