In part of a new study conducted at Lund University, eight people with Parkinson's disease received stem cell-based dopamine cell transplants. Most of the participants were able to reduce their Parkinson's medication 12 months after treatment. The participants also showed no signs of serious side effects such as tumour formation, which is considered the greatest safety risk with the procedure.
The transplanted cells appear to have survived, which is very promising. This is the first time we have evidence that the cells can survive in the human brain and continue to develop, says Gesine Paul-Visse, professor of neurological and psychiatric basic research and senior consultant in neurology at Lund University and Skåne University Hospital.
Can take at least ten years
Parkinson's disease is characterised by the gradual loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain, leading to stiffness, tremors and difficulty moving.
The hope is that the cells will be able to mature further and eventually replace some of the function lost in Parkinson's, but they cannot slow down the entire disease process.
Those who participated in the study had a moderately advanced stage of the disease. One of the patients died of a lung infection that was not linked to the cell preparation. The patients received the preparation in two different doses.
The study will continue for another two years. The patients will also be followed long-term, and phase two and phase three studies need to be conducted with more patients.
It will likely take at least ten years before the treatment can be given in healthcare. Before then, we need robust data that shows both safety and sufficient efficacy.
Continued research needs to answer which dose is optimal, how much clinical effect the treatment can have, and whether it can compete with other treatments.
The treatments for Parkinson's available today can relieve symptoms but do not replace lost dopamine cells in the brain.
“Fantastic that things are moving forward”
Can this be called the biggest milestone in Parkinson's in recent years?
I would actually say that. In Parkinson's treatment, we have had important improvements in drugs and different forms of administration for how to give the drugs, but few truly new treatment concepts. It's fantastic that it's moving forward. It's the biggest thing I've seen in my medical career.
Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that causes the brain to have difficulty controlling the nerve signals that control the body's movements. It occurs when the cells that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that the brain uses to send signals between brain cells, are destroyed.
Typical symptoms include tremors, stiff muscles and reduced mobility. The very first signs of Parkinson's can be noticed many years before the motor symptoms and can include a reduced sense of smell, constipation, depression and REM sleep disorder.
It is most common in people over 65, but can be noticed earlier. In Sweden, there are just over 20,000 people who have the disease.
There is currently no cure, but there is effective treatment that helps with the symptoms.
Source: 1177, Parkinson's Association
The study mentioned in the article is called STEM-PD and is led by Lund University in collaboration with Skåne University Hospital, Cambridge University Hospital and University College London.
The stem cell-based dopamine cells are produced under controlled conditions in a laboratory. When the cells reach the right developmental stage, they are frozen and stored in a cell bank. At the time of surgery, the cells are thawed, washed and prepared for transplantation. They are then injected with a very thin needle into the area of the brain where they are to act.
After surgery, patients are treated with immunosuppressive drugs for a limited period of one year.
Source: Gesine Paul-Visse.
