Dramatic improvement in Parkinson disease symptoms

New Rochelle, NY, February 8, 2011 — Successful intranasal delivery of stem cells to the brains of rats with Parkinson disease yielded significant improvement in motor function and reversed the dopamine deficiency characteristic of the disease. These highly promising findings, reported in Rejuvenation Research, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. highlight the potential for a noninvasive approach to cell therapy delivery in Parkinson disease — a safer and effective alternative to surgical transplantation of stem cells. The article is available free online.

In this groundbreaking study, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) delivered via the nose preferentially migrated to the brain and were able to survive for at least 6 months. Substantial improvement in motor function — up to 68% of normal — was reported in the MSC-treated rat model of Parkinson disease. Levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine were significantly higher in affected rat brain regions exposed to MSCs compared to the non-treated brain regions, reported Lusine Danielyan and an international team of researchers from University Hospital of Tübingen, University of Göttingen Medical School, and University of Tübingen (Stuttgart, Germany; HealthPartners Research Foundation, St. Paul, MN; German University in Cairo, Egypt; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; Institute of Molecular Biology NAS RA, Yerevan, Armenia; and Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland.

The authors present their findings in the article, “Therapeutic Efficacy of Intranasally Delivered Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a Rat Model of Parkinson Disease.” They explain that intranasal delivery of MSCs avoids the tissue trauma and related inflammation and brain swelling associated with surgical implantation of therapeutic stem cells. Importantly, this noninvasive delivery method would also make it possible to provide repeated stem cell treatments over time.

Rejuvenation Research, the Official Journal of the European Society of Preventive, Regenerative and Anti-Aging Medicine (ESAAM) and the World Federation & World Virtual Institute of Preventive & Regenerative Medicine (PYRAMED), is an authoritative, peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online. Led by Editor-in-Chief Aubrey D.N.J. de Grey, PhD, SENS Foundation, Cambridge, UK, the Journal publishes cutting-edge work on the development of rejuvenation therapies in the laboratory and clinic and explores the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind these novel therapeutic approaches. Tables of content and a free sample issue may be viewed online.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Stem Cells and Development; Cellular Reprogramming; DNA and Cell Biology; and Human Gene Therapy. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 60 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at our website.