title: Stereotaxic intrastriatal implantation of human retinal pigment epithelial (hRPE) cells attached to gelatin microcarriers: a potential new cell therapy for Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Human retinal pigment epithelial (hRPE) cells are dopaminergic support cells in the neural retina. Stereotaxic intrastriatal implantation of hRPE cells attached to gelatin microcarriers (Spheramine) in rodent and non-human primate models of Parkinson's disease (PD) produces long term amelioration of motor and behavioral deficits, with histological and PET evidence of cell survival without immunosuppression. Long-term safety in cynomologous monkeys has also been demonstrated. Six H&Y stage III/IV PD patients were enrolled in a one-year, open-label, single center study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Spheramine (approximately 325,000 cells) implanted in the most affected post-commissural putamen. All patients tolerated the implantation of Spheramine well and demonstrated improvement. At 6, 9, and 12 months post-operatively, the mean UPDRS-Motor score "off", the primary outcome measure, improved 33%, (n = 6), 42% (n = 6), and 48% (n = 3), respectively. No "off-state" dyskinesias have been observed. Based on these preliminary results, Spheramine appears to show promise in treating late stage PD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Watts
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Raiser
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Stover
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cornfeldt
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Schweikert
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Doudet
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Honey
authors.forename: R A E
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bakay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016380:Brain Tissue Transplantation; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000601:surgery*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000637:transplantation; D005780:Gelatin; D006801:Humans; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000637:transplantation*; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
chemical_list: D005780:Gelatin