Groundbreaking Parkinson’s trial offers hope for restoring damaged brain cells

Written by Sharon Salt, Editor

Credit: MintMotion for Passionate Productions

Results from a pioneering clinical trials program that delivered an experimental treatment directly to the brain may offer hope to restore damaged brain cells in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The studies, which have been published in Brain and the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, aimed to investigate whether boosting the levels of GDNF could regenerate dying brain cells in individuals with PD and reverse their condition. A specially designed system was developed in order to get GDNF to the brain cells that require it. In total, 41 participants underwent robot-assisted surgery to have four tubes carefully placed into their brains, which allowed...

To view this content, please register now for access

It's completely free