For First Time, Precursors of Dopamine Neurons Implanted in Brain of Parkinson’s Patient

Precursors of dopamine-producing cells were implanted into the brain of a Parkinson’s patient for the first time. The patient in Japan is the first of seven to receive this experimental therapy.

The approach uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are developed by reprogramming cells collected from the skin or blood of adults so that they revert to a stem cell-like state and are able to differentiate into almost any cell type.

Scientists at Kyoto University can transform iPSCs into precursors of dopamine-producing neurons. In Parkinson’s, progressive loss of these neurons in a brain area called substantia nigra, and reduced dopamine release in a connected region called striatum, lead to the characteristic motor symptoms.

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