In a study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, authors say stem cell engineering combined with mesencephalic dopamine grafting is a promising strategy for combating the brain damage associated with Parkinson's disease, and that their new production method brings the treatment closer to clinical use.

"We have identified a specific set of markers that correlate with high dopaminergic yield and graft function after transplantation in animal models of Parkinson's disease," author Agnete Kirkeby said in a press release. "Guided by this information, we have developed a better and more accurate methods for producing dopamine cells for clinical use in a reproducible way."

Scientists look to dopamine production in Parkinson's research - UPI.com