Huntington’s disease ‘breakthrough’
Published: August 11, 2005
A pioneering new treatment for Huntington’s disease could soon see pig cells being implanted into patients’ brains.
Scientists in the United States hope to carry out the first procedures by early next year, following “astonishingly successful” tests on primates.
The injection of live animal brain cells into people’s brains could raise ethical concerns and fears of pig viruses being transmitted to humans.
But the researchers say the benefits of a cure outweigh such concerns, New Scientist magazine has reported.
Bob Elliott, medical director of Living Cell Technologies (LCT) in Auckland, New Zealand, which is pioneering the treatment, said: “Yes, we have created a chimaera (a cross-species combination of cells) but one that is tolerated and beneficial.”
Huntington’s is a terrifying disease that affects about one in 100,000 people.
Symptoms usually develop between the age of 30 and 50 and include uncontrollable twisting movements, progressing rapidly to disability, dementia and early death.
The pig cells used in the treatment come from the lining of a brain structure called the choroid plexus.
They are not neurons but have a nurturing role, mopping up toxins and producing cerebrospinal fluid.
The cells also secrete a range of hormones and proteins that protect the brain and help it function. In Huntington’s disease these substances are significantly lacking.
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