April 29, 2016 - Summit for Stem Cell has received a $250,000 grant from the National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF) to support the development of a patient-specific stem cell therapy for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The Summit research project is directed by Dr. Andrés Bratt-Leal in the lab of Dr. Jeanne Loring at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, CA.
The aim of of the research is to use a patient’s own skin cells to create normal dopamine-producing neurons that can be returned to the patient without rejection. Dopamine, a chemical that sends messages to areas of the brain that control movement and coordination, is decreased in Parkinson’s when dopamine-producing neurons malfunction or die. This patient-specific therapy has the potential to halt or reverse the damage of Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders, including ALS.