Researchers in Australia have managed to successfully inject stem cells into a patient’s brain in an effort to treat his Parkinson’s disease. This procedure is a world’s first and a positive outcome could be a huge breakthrough for treating Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a devastating neurological condition that affects more than 10 million people worldwide. The condition is caused by nerve damage in the brain and causes a variety of symptoms including difficulty moving, tremors, rigid muscles, impaired posture, difficulty speaking and a loss of automatic movements.

This trial represents the first time that scientists have used stem cells injected into the brain to treat Parkinson’s disease. In a surgery performed at Royal Melbourne Hospital, Neurosurgeons injected stem cells into 14 sites within the patient’s brain in an effort to restore brain nerve function.

The lead surgeon involved in the trial, Dr. Garish Nair, spent weeks practicing the procedure on a 3D model of the patient’s brain.

Researchers hope that using stem cells injected into the brain will help the brain produce more dopamine — an essential neurotransmitter that patient’s with Parkinson’s disease are lacking. Most of the symptoms exhibited by Parkinson’s patients are a result of a shortage of dopamine.

Researchers used neural cells that were manufactured in a laboratory by a Californian biotech company. This approach sidesteps any ethical considerations because it does not involve embryonic stem cells. The stem cells used were created from an unfertilised egg.

Source: Stem cells successfully injected into Parkinson’s disease patient, in trial treatment

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