Stem Cells Hold 'Breakthrough' Potential In Fighting Parkinson's Disease

Scientists continue to excessively research the power of stem cells--undifferentiated biological tissue that can be specialized to produce more stem cells and potentially help various health problems. Now, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have found that these cells hold a  remarkable potential to fight the advancement of Parkinson's Disease.

This debilitating neurodegenerative disease occurs when the brain loses cells that produce dopamine, which help to properly manage mood and regulate movement. This disease can greatly harm an individual's ability to properly walk and do other every day functions. Though there are medications available to alleviate symptoms, many only scratch the service of the health issue.

For the study, researchers stimulated Parkinson's in rats used in their research. They did this by killing all of the dopamine-cells found on one side of the brain. Afterward, they injected the rats with new dopamine-producing neurons that were previously developed from human embryonic stem cells.

Findings revealed just how effective these stem cell transplants could be in helping to reverse damage caused by the health issue.

"This important research is a key step along the way in helping us to understand how stem cells might shape future Parkinson's treatments," concluded lead study author and an associate professor of regenerative neurobiology at the university, Arthur Parmar. "There are important potential advantages of these cells over the fetal-derived cells used in past cell transplantation work. This study could be a stride towards clinical trials in people with Parkinson's but there are still many questions that need to be answered before this development can be tested in people with the condition."

With future studies, researchers said they hope to start human clinical trials by as early as 2017.