title: Transplantation of embryonic porcine mesencephalic tissue in patients with PD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the safety and the effect on standardized clinical rating measures of transplanted embryonic porcine ventral mesencephalic (VM) tissue in advanced PD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve patients with idiopathic PD underwent unilateral implantation of embryonic porcine VM tissue; six received cyclosporine immunosuppression and six received tissue treated with a monoclonal antibody directed against major histocompatibility complex class I. Patients were followed for 12 months and assessed by clinical examination, MRI, and 18F-levodopa PET. Porcine endogenous retrovirus testing was conducted by PCR-based method on peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cell implantation occurred without serious adverse events in all patients. Cultures were negative for bacterial and unknown viral contamination. No porcine endogenous retrovirus DNA sequences were found. MRI demonstrated cannula tracts within the putamen and caudate, with minimal or no edema and no mass effect at the transplant sites. In the medication-off state, total Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores improved 19% (p = 0.01). Three patients improved over 30%. There were two patients with improved gait. 18F-levodopa PET failed to show changes on the transplanted side.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Unilateral transplantation of porcine embryonic VM cells into PD patients was well tolerated with no evidence of transmission of porcine endogenous retrovirus. Changes in standardized clinical PD rating measures were variable, similar to the results of the first trials of unilateral human embryonic allografts that transplanted small amounts of tissue.
authors.affiliation: Lahey Medical Center, Burlington, MA, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ellias
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kott
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dinsmore
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Dempsey
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Fischman
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kassissieh
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raineri
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manhart
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Penney
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Isacson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016380:Brain Tissue Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000196:embryology* / Q000637:transplantation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed