This article is short but here's the gist, I especially like the language of the last paragraph...the link follows:

"When stem cells from the nose of Parkinson's patients were cultured and injected into the damaged area the rats re-acquired the ability to run in a straight line.

"All animals transplanted with the human cells had a dramatic reduction in the rate of rotation within just three weeks."

He said the discovery meant they were on the verge to finding a cure for Parkinson's, a debilitating disease which includes loss of muscle control caused by the degeneration of cells that produce the essential chemical dopamine in the brain.

The study was published yesterday in the journal Stem Cells"

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sto...005961,00.html

... the stem cells from pd patients noses only ? not from healthy people noses? and why the nose?

Sorry, couldn't resist! But to answer your question, I don't nose (stop me!) but suspect it may have something to do with the fact that a large percentage of PDers lose their sense of smell early on in the course of the disease...maybe those nasal stem cells make better dopamine producing cells. I'm just guessing here, though.

It is me who is sorry for a spelling mistake , now corrected.

That the neurons from the olfactory bulb that project into the sinuses are the only ones in the body that regenerate. That may be the reason.

Another thing about that area is that it is not protected by the BBB but has a similar protective barrier. That barrier can be damaged by certain things. Head trauma is one. The kind that boxers might suffer.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news...259111671.html

I did see this today, it's a bummer that Prof. McKay is saying it's not a cure. I was so optimistic about the headline yesterday.

I guess that word "cure" can mean a lot of things to many people, and for someone with PD, I don't think they would really care if a treatment fit perfectly into the current medical dictionary's definition of "cure", as long as they felt like they did before PD and it was safe. Thanks for sharing the additional information about this news.