Parkinsons disease is a progressive degenerative illness that causes damage and nerve cell loss in the brain. The dopamine-producing cells are vital for smooth and controlled muscle movement. The loss of these cells due to Parkinsons disease is currently irreparable, and treatment is limited. While theres not yet a cure for the disease, there is reason for hope. Theres been significant advancement in clinical research studies using human stem cells to repair the damaging effects of Parkinsons disease.

Parkinsons disease worsens over time but is a very individual illness. Beginning with minor symptoms such as a hand tremor, the progression of the illness can lead to life-changing symptoms that include difficulty swallowing and speaking, impaired balance, and limb rigidity. Medications that pass chemicals to the brain to produce dopamine are available, but theyre a form of symptom management not a cure and cannot give back whats been lost. A treatment that repairs and replaces motor control cells using stem cells would improve the quality of life for many and open the door to treatments for other neurological illnesses and injuries. Progress is being made.

A recent study showed stem cells repaired Parkinsons degeneration in mice, an encouraging result that brings us one step closer to achieving the same effect in humans. The mice were implanted with nerve cells created using stem cells, and four to five months later, they displayed improved motor skills, bringing back movement that had been impaired. While human brains are much larger and complex, this studys results have reinforced the potential of stem cell treatments. To reverse whats currently permanent damage and replace cells that died from Parkinsons disease would give back so much to those suffering and be an enormous breakthrough for science.

Stem cells have already been used to treat a range of illnesses and injuries. They are a part of countless studies in the medical field because of their almost unbelievable capabilities. Given the right conditions, stem cells can replicate any cell in the human body and can even help grow tissues and organs. But the trick for researchers focusing on treatment for Parkinsons disease is to learn how the cells they are replicating act once put in the brain and whether the circuit they create leads to the correct result.

Muscle movement, everything from walking to talking, is a complex process. Our brains send signals to other parts of our brain, and the path they take and connections they make are an important piece of the puzzle. Research studies like that of the mice focus on tracking the circuits of these signals. If understood and able to control, they could enable doctors to place replicated cells to cultivate and recreate a healthy, functioning circuit that repairs whats lost by Parkinsons and other neurological diseases.

An area researchers have already seen success is repairing damaged corneas with stem cells. They took cells from their patients healthy eyes and used them to treat damage caused by an injury in the other eye. This, among other clinical trials, shows the significance and power of stem cell treatments. However, like many other journeys to scientific discovery, there have been negative effects and outright failures that call into question whether the risks are worth pursuing the reward.

The possibilities of stem cells seem endless, but as much success researchers have seen in this areas advancement, there are many victims of stem cell therapy malpractice. Patients have had procedures done with the promise of healing and improving their lives only to end up in worse condition than before the treatment. With as many as 1,000 stem cell treatment centers in the U.S. and no precedent for negligence and accountability, reining in the industry to protect individuals hasnt and wont be easy.

The possibilities, mixed with many successes, is what continues to drive the field. Stem cells could change the face of medicine through saving and prolonging lives and reversing damage from illnesses and injuries. Parkinsons disease is just one of many that takes so much from its victims. Stem cell treatments could change that.

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Stem Cells Offer Hope to Those with Parkinson's Disease - Legal Examiner