Stem cells may not help fight off Parkinson's

By Lisa Greene, Times Staff Writer
Published Sunday, April 6, 2008 2:22 PM

TAMPA — Fifteen years later, scientists are still learning from a woman who risked her life to be part of a controversial experiment to treat Parkinson's disease with fetal cells implanted in her brain.

The woman died last year, and an autopsy surprised scientists. The transplanted cells showed unmistakable signs of Parkinson's. That means the disease is able to spread inside the brain, migrating from the woman's own cells to the transplanted ones.

It also raises questions about whether stem cell transplants could become the best treatment for Parkinson's, because the disease might spread to affect the new cells.

The study was published online Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine. It's the latest result from a controversial trial with surgeries performed at the University of South Florida by Dr. Thomas Freeman, medical director of the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair.

READ more