Parkinson’s hope buoyed by cell study
A BREAKTHROUGH at Edinburgh University could offer hope for sufferers of Parkinson’s disease.
Scientists there have generated stem cells from a rapidly growing form of the illness, the first time such a development has been achieved.
It is thought this will help researchers model the disease in a laboratory setting, allowing for a greater understanding of how it grows, and potentially how it can be stopped.
Dr Tolo Kunath, from the university’s Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine, said: “Current drugs for Parkinson’s alleviate symptoms of the condition. Modelling the disease in a dish with real Parkinson’s neurons enables us to test drugs that may halt or reverse the condition.”
The study benefited from a grant of around £300,000 from the charity Parkinson’s UK.