X-Message-Number: 15847
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 12:23:41 -0500 (EST)
From: Ruthanna R Gordon <>
Subject: Re: CryoNet #15834 - #15841

<On Sat, 10 Mar 2001 Scott Badger wrote:  >

> Also, I was listening to NPR on the way home a couple
> days ago and heard a discussion on a recent experiment
> where doctors implanted brain cells grown from stem
> cells into Parkinsons patients. A few responded so
> well that they were able to stop medication treatments
> completely. The only problematic apsect of this
> treatment was supposedly that some of the patients had
> negative side effects similar to those of patients who
> take too much medication (resulting in excessively
> high levels of dopamine). Also troubling was the fact
> that it is much more difficult to regulate the
> dopamine production of the cells than to simply adjust
> the dosage of prescribed meds. The researcher
> interviewed was still pretty excited though because
> one of their initial concerns was that they would have
> a difficult time implanting enough cells to produce
> the amount of dopamine needed and it turns out instead
> that, on average, considerably fewer cells were needed
> than anticipated.

Really?  The New York Times article said that those who didn't have the
side effects did *not* show any substantial improvement.  They framed it
as a serious setback for this research.  I wonder which interpretation is
accurate (I should, obviously, go take a look at the original research,
though I probably won't have time to till the summer).

The Times article is at:

Parkinson's Research Is Set Back by Failure of Fetal Cell
Implants
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/08/health/08PARK.html

> Other news ... I've accepted a position at U of Idaho.
>  Moving there from Texas will be a big change but I
> look forward to it.

Congratulations!

Freedom and Long Life,
Ruthanna Gordon					  
*If God hadn't meant people to have wings, S/He wouldn't have made them*
                              *want to fly.*

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