Progress against Parkinson’s

In November 2006, groundbreaking research was published by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers in Nature Medicine that demonstrated the potential of stem cell therapy to treat Parkinson’s disease.

A team led by neurologist Steven Goldman set out to grow brain cells called neurons that produce dopamine, a crucial brain chemical lacking in patients with Parkinson’s. They began by isolating human embryonic stem cells, then re-created the natural environment of the developing brain as much as possible to govern the development of stem cells into the specific cells needed. The result: More than two-thirds of the stem cells developed into dopamine-producing neurons—a percentage far higher than any previous experiment had achieved. Rats with Parkinson’s-like symptoms that received the cells improved dramatically.