[Transplanted nerve cells survive and are functional for many years].
During the past decade neuronal grafting has been explored as a novel approach to the treatment of neurodegenerative disease. About 250 patients with advanced Parkinson's disease and 20-30 patients with Huntington's disease have received embryonic neuronal grafts. The results have shown such grafts to survive and function for many years in the diseased brain, and to induce significant and lasting therapeutic effects. The article gives a review of experience in current trials, discussed in the light of the practical and ethical problems that need to be solved in order to develop the neuronal graft technique as a useful and generally acceptable form of therapy.
Björklund
A
A
Wallenberg Neurocentrum, Lunds Universitet.
Lindvall
O
O
D000818:Animals; D016380:Brain Tissue Transplantation; D002470:Cell Survival; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000601:surgery; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous