'Designer Dopamine Neurons' in Reach

[metacognito]

The discovery of a "gatekeeper" protein that inhibits one cell type's ability to morph into another cell type, and the subsequent discovery of a means to unlock that "gate" by dimming the expression of that protein, clears the way for a completely new means by which to convert readily available skin cells into dopamine neurons (... a flicker of light at the end of the long, dark tunnel?).

"For decades, the elusive holy grail in Parkinson's disease research has been finding a way to repair faulty dopamine neurons and put them back into patients, where they will start producing dopamine again."

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

[etterus]

This is indicative of the level of the same type of advances as the t-cell immunotherapy that is reversing the Jimmy Carter type of cancers. The future looks bright for many of us..... we just have to keep the best life style of exercise, diet and functional cognitive ability. SMILE A LOT! It can't hurt.

[JohnPepper]

Hi Metacognito. I was reading this in the latest Northwest Parkinson's Foundation Newsletter yesterday. It is, in my opinion the most exciting piece of news to come out recently surrounding stem cells and that line of treatment. I am sure it will take some time for it to reach the stage where we can expect to have these cells produced for us personally and have them implanted into our brain and get the benefit of the new supply of dopamine.

You can bet, when it does come out, that the cost is going to kill us before the Pd. causes us to die of pneumonia.

John