MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - UW Madison scientists say a recent stem-
cell experiment could lead to a future cure for Parkinson’s
disease. Neuro-scientist Su-Chun Zhang said his team converted
skin cells from a rhesus monkey into early brain cells – and
they then implanted them in the same monkey’s brain. After a
while, the reprogrammed cells grafted into the brain, and they
could not be distinguished from the other natural cells which
were already there. Before the cell transfer, the three monkeys
involved in the study were engineered to simulate their
Parkinson’s disease. Zhang said the experiment was intended to
mimic future therapies in patients. But he says much more needs
to be done. He says his team is now using another federal grant
to do long-range studies monkeys with re-programmed cells. The
doctors want to find out if the cells help improve the monkeys’
disease symptoms. If the cell treatments prove to help, clinical
trials on human patients could be next.