New lead for Parkinson's transplant treatment

1 July 2010

Researchers funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Imperial College London have announced that they have overcome a major obstacle in the development of a cell transplant treatment system which could relieve the symptoms of Parkinson's

Early clinical research using donated foetal tissue which was carried out in the 1990s showed that it was possible to reverse the symptoms of Parkinson’s by transplanting tissue directly into the brain.

Some of the people in the trial showed improvement in their quality of life, significantly reducing the need for drug treatments.

However, the research was stopped in the early 2000s after it emerged that the transplant could also cause dyskinesia - uncontrollable movements.

Until now, nobody knew why this happened or whether these side effects could be successfully treated.

What the researchers did

In this new, small study, the research team at Imperial College London, scanned the brains of 2 people with Parkinson's who had received transplants.

Their brain scans showed that the dyskinesia was caused by serotonin-producing nerve cells in the area of the brain where the transplant had taken place, which were not working properly.

In fact, these cells started to produce dopamine and this was probably responsible for the movement problems.

What is serotonin?

Serotonin is a molecule, described as a neurotransmitter, which helps different parts of the brain communicate with each other.

The research team found that they could treat the dyskinesia effectively by using the drug Buspirone, normally used to treat anxiety. This worked by 'switching off' the serotonin nerve cells and therefore preventing them from making dopamine.

New targeted treatments

Dr Kieran Breen, our Director of Research and Development comments:

"While only 2 people with Parkinson’s were used in this trial, these new research findings are very exciting. They give us new insights into how chemicals interact within the brain.

"And we can see for the first time that serotonin-producing nerve cells could be a key player in addition to those which produce dopamine. This could lead to new targeted treatments in the future.

"In the 1990s, foetal tissue transplant therapy initially offered great hope for repairing the brain in people with Parkinson's. It may be possible to return to develop the use of transplants with fewer side effects. Larger trials will need to be done to make sure it is safe to do so."

A small number of patients worldwide have undergone this transplant. It is not currently available as an option for treatment in the UK.

Results of the research study are available in the journal Science Translational Medicine

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