Monkeys Aren't Human and Animal "Models" of Parkinson's Disease Aren't Actually Parkinson's Disease, BUT This Stem Cell Trial Offers Hope!

[jimcaster]

Personalized stem cells improved motor symptoms and depression signs in monkeys modeling Parkinson’s disease, paving the way for trials in human patients.

the-scientist.com/sponsored...

[gaga1958]

Did you notice any dates as to when they might begin the study? I didn’t catch any. Sounds hopeful to be helpful.

[jimcaster in reply to gaga1958]

I don't know of the timeline for the University of Wisconsin, but I am very encouraged by the work which has already been done by Maclean General Hospital/University of Massachusetts, Harvard. I really think stem cells are our best hope for being restored to fairly normal lives, but the timeline for real world availability.

[Patrickk in reply to jimcaster]

I read sometime in the last 12 months of a South Korean experiment with stem cells imported from other monkeys. Worked on Parkinson's until immune systems started killing off foreign cells. So they figured how wind the test monkeys own cells back to stem cell stage and are going to repeat the experiment with their own cells. So this seems to be going around -- and hopefully picking up speed.

Under US drug patent laws -- under our profit driven research -- I hate to imagine what the pharma companies might charge. Right now Gilead has been charging $100,000 a treatment for Hep C that costs them $200 to manufacture -- and so the Hep C epidemic will wait 20 more years to die out because nobody but the very ill can get insurance or the government to pay.

[WinnieThePoo]

Bit of an odd one Jim. There seems to be considerable rivalry between the autologous and other stem cell camps.The primary potential criticism of autologous is that you are regrowing neurons from a gene pool known to be incapable of preserving them. That clearly isn't tested in this model.

And the control is a transplant of donor tissue with no immunosuppressant. I have a corneal graft, and have to use steroid drops twice a day to stop it rejecting.

Loring or Barker?

[jimcaster in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Great question. As you know, I was an early Loring/autologous fan. I have given up on Loring and haven't given much thought to your point about the fragility of neurons in PwP, yet the thought of no need for immunosuppression and cells derived from my own body is really appealing. Hopefully, we will get answers...soon! (I've been saying in another 5-10 years for nearly 5 years already. 😐). That said, the autologous procedure at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, referenced in the article seems to be at least proof of concept. I think cost of the autologous procedure might be the biggest challenge.

[WinnieThePoo in reply to jimcaster]

I think the Japanese have also gone the autologous route.The McLean procedure is a bit of a mixed bag. He felt better but didn't measure better.

For sure if cells from another body are used in humans in the way they were in these 5 monkeys they aren't going to skip immunosuppressants

[jimcaster in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Right. It's been nearly five years since the guy at McLean received his first stem cells. I would think if I were in his shoes AND the procedure was a big success, I'd be on every form of media touting its success. Maybe the guy just wants privacy, but he could do a lot as the poster boy for the autologous procedure IF it was successful.

[Hidden in reply to jimcaster]

There is a documentary being made or has been made about him. Dr. (Doc) George Lopez. It was not a screaming success but they are the first in the US to attempt this. There was success in Northern Europe over 20 years ago.

[jimcaster in reply to Hidden]

I saw a relatively short video in which the various doctors and researchers were interviewed and it was very interesting. I would just like to see and hear more from Dr. Lopez himself. Thanks for mentioning his name. I had forgotten it. Now I can search for more information through Google and YouTube. 😊

[Hidden in reply to jimcaster]

Spring 2021 I had a zoom call with the researchers at Mass General. They said we could resume in fall 2021. I dropped the ball on that. But they were surprisingly receptive and are the ones that suggested a zoom call when I had written to them.

[PalmSprings in reply to jimcaster]

I’ve been waiting for the autologous/Loring group to do something or report something as well? Do you know what happened or what their progress has been? My suspicion was they are all figuring out price structure for the business models? And speaking of that, what do you think they might charge for a stem cell procedure like we are talking about?

[jimcaster in reply to PalmSprings]

I think Dr. Loring has taken a different position with Aspen and is no longer as involved with their Parkinson’s research, but I'm not sure why they don't appear to have made much progress during the past couple of years. Your guess regarding the cost of treatment if this proves successful is as good as mine. Ultimately, I hope insurance and Medicare will pick up most of the tab.

[Despe]

I'd like to know the method of transplant, injection in the brain, cut the scull and inject, what? No matter what the method, it will be an invasive one, IMO.