Aishwarya Vaidya
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A progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement can be termed as Parkinson's. One may experience stiffness and slow moments along with tremors. This can deteriorate the quality of life of the person and also they won't be able to carry out their daily chores with ease. For people with Parkinson's disease, this news brings some hope.
To cure Parkinson's disease, Japanese scientists have been given permission by the government to begin clinical trials for reprogrammed stem cells which can cure Parkinson's disease. Jun Takahashi, a neurosurgeon at Kyoto University's Centre for iPS Cell Research and Application, and his colleagues will inject dopamine-producing neural progenitor cells which are derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs). Stem cells that are generated directly from adult cells are known as pluripotent stem cells. The cells from the healthy adult donors will be injected into the brains of the patients suffering from Parkinson's. Also, the team will have 7 participants who will be observed for two years once they are injected with the dopamine-producing neural progenitor cells. About 5 million cells will be injected into the patients' striatum (a part of the basal ganglia of the brain, which is located in the interior regions of the cerebral hemispheres and in the upper part of the brainstem.)
Earlier, the scientists were concerned that the application of pluripotent stem cells could result into malignant tumours. However, Takahashi and his colleagues said that the injected cells can survive in the brains of monkeys and the treatment improved the symptoms. Hopefully, the Parkinson's patients will benefit from it in the near future.
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