PD Breakthrough at UNC (?)

[metacognito]

UNC team has engineered immune cells capable of producing and delivering GDNF protein to the brain while, in turn, enabling one's neurons to reproduce the healing protein on their own (?!?): wncn.com/2015/09/10/unc-sci...

[metacognito]

Harnessing the Mechanism (redux):

ed.ted.com/lessons/could-yo...

[JWebb994 in reply to metacognito]

Thanks, I set myself up a unit to learn this.

[Hidden]

G'me some! Oh wait. How is it administered?

[metacognito]

The Amgen GDNF trial certainly spawned huge interest in the potential of GDNF/BDNF as a life-changing therapy for PD sufferers. In the wake of those earlier trials, numerous other studies seeking to improve the efficacy were kicked off.

"Next Steps" cited at the abrupt conclusion of the Amgen trial in 2004 included:

"Scientists in other laboratories are developing alternative ways to deliver GDNF into the brain. At Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center, Jeffrey H. Kordower is working with a California biotech company (Ceregene,) to test a gene therapy approach.

"To promote ongoing GDNF research, the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) for Parkinson's Research brought together 35 scientists from around the world to brainstorm new ways to reassess the safety and effectiveness of GDNF without human testing. The group agreed on six to eight new experiments to try."

Source: pdpipeline.org/2011/GDNF/gd...

The UNC method, besides producing and delivering GDNF to the brain, will purportedly "teach' one's own neurons to reproduce the critical protein as needed. This would certainly be an ideal solution...

[Joanne_Joyce]

This is very encouraging. Thanks for sharing this report.

[Dap1948]

GDNF is definitely the new hope for reversing PD. There are several studies ongoing looking into ways of getting neurotrophic factors into the brain. And we mustn't forget that forced exercise causes the body to produce GDNF by itself. Is the future looking brighter?!

[BillDavid]

Dap 1948

Excellent Point. My mobility is limited, I use a Theracycle. Other strategies use a regular exercise bike, running or speed walking.

Recommend Kindle book, Parkinson's Disease: Finding relief with 20 minutes and 3 seconds of PUSH, PUSH, PUSH by Dr Danille Shelton.

BillDavid

[partypants]

Excellent news - thanks metacognito. I've just heard someone in my town is also on the Bristol based GNDF trial but this new research looks to be far better in that it avoids DBS type surgery. Only another 20 years to wait then...

[metacognito]

Hopefully, with the growing interest in this approach, they'll get past the animal studies and the early phase clinical trials (human) within a FEW short years. In the meantime keep generating your own GDNF (and thereby keep 'resting tremors' and other degeneration at bay) by not resting - exercise mind and body.

[Hikoi in reply to metacognito]

Metacognito

I believe we have already got past animal studies with The Bristol GDNF trials which began over a year ago. They involve inserting GDNF protein into the brain of humans to observe nerve cell regeneration as in the article above or perhaps a slightly different approach with similar outcome?

This is the video used to recruit participants. They now have sufficient people. First results expected early next year.

parkinsons.org.uk/content/v...

[metacognito]

Yes, ever since the big bang everything that ever mattered has certainly sprung forth from the UK (at least there within the cranial confines of a compromised neural network). Unfortunately, your Bristol trials are currently evaluating a treatment protocol that - at best - offers a procedure only slightly better than DBS.

The patients in these trials are still required to become willing cyborgs with all the requisite mechanical apparatus, tubes, and ports in order to be regularly hooked up to an external pump system for their monthly infusions (vs the implanted DBS system). Their use of the word "restore" as applies to brain function here (vs your use of "regeneration") apparently means to do so for increments of 1 month at a time (the slightly different meaning between the 2 words being of importance here).

The UNC protocol, on the other hand, purports to have incorporated nanotechnology to genetically modify white blood cells to produce and deliver GDNF throughout the damaged brain. The critical difference being (again), the engineered white blood cells (macrophages) can then “teach” neurons to make the GDNF protein for themselves as needed ("regeneration" is better applied here). Permanent cyborg gear not required.

This newer, improved protocol may first have to be tried out on a few rats (I thought you'd grasped this difference in the course of the first few explanations).