University of Wisconsin researchers opened a new path to curing Parkinson’s disease through grafting brain cells into the brains of macaque monkeys. The research, conducted at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, aimed to see if this method could work with humans.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by the death of neurons in an area of the brain called the basal ganglia, which is responsible for movement. It is not known what causes these cells to die, but the symptoms are dramatic. Motor control deteriorates as more cells die and tremors emerge across the body.
Treatments for Parkinson’s disease come with undesirable side effects and decreased effectiveness after extended use. Scientists hope this method can minimize the complications and provide long-lasting results.
The specific treatment tested was a type of cell therapy where a patient’s cells are removed, grown in a lab and then re-injected into the patient. The cells injected are dopaminergic neuronal progenitor cells, a type of stem cell which develops into the neurons killed during the disease.
The trial on monkeys was directed by medical physics professor Dr. Marina Emborg on behalf of Aspen Neuroscience, a California-based company focused on stem cell research and Parkinson’s disease.
Emborg led research with stem cell researcher at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Dr. Su-Chun Zhang in 2021 that showed successful treatment of rhesus monkeys with Parkinsonian symptoms through creating stem cells from the monkeys own cells. The new study focused on proving human stem cells could be delivered and live, a revised procedure for delivering the cells and proving the procedure was safe.
Emborg said the level of collaboration across institutions and UW was what allowed the trial to proceed as well as it did.
“It’s one of the few places in this world that you can do this kind of research, at University of Wisconsin,” Emborg said.
As a result of the trial Aspen went forward with human trials, with their first patient receiving treatment earlier this year in April.
