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In October, researchers at Kyoto University transplanted cells generated from induced pluripotent stem cells into the brain of a man with Parkinson’s disease, the scientists reported Friday (November 9) at a press conference. This is the first time that researchers have tested the use of iPSCs in the human brain, and Parkinson’s disease is only among a handful of conditions for which iPSC-based therapies have been tested in humans at all, Nature reports.
In Parkinson’s disease, cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine die off, resulting in tremors and other movement problems. Although there are treatments that can alleviate some symptoms, there is currently no cure for the disease.
The transplanted cells in this treatment are precursors to dopamine-producing neurons, and the hope is that they will restore the dopamine deficit and relieve symptoms. A very similar procedure reduced movement difficulties in monkeys whose dopaminergic neurons had ...
