Scientists are making new strides in the fight against Parkinson’s disease, with researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine exploring cutting-edge treatments that could potentially slow, or even change, the course of the condition.
“People with Parkinson’s should feel more excited than they ever have before,” said Dr. Ihtsham ul Haq, a neurologist involved in the research.
Stem cell therapy could change the course of Parkinson’s
One of the most promising developments involves using stem cells to create dopamine-producing neurons, the very cells that are lost as Parkinson’s progresses. Researchers say replacing those cells could mark a major breakthrough.
“There’s a potential here that we are changing the trajectory of the disease, that we’re giving people back something that they’ve lost,” Dr. Haq said. “We’re giving them back their dopaminergic neurons.”
But delivering those cells to the brain presents a major challenge. The brain is protected by a complex defense system that blocks foreign substances, making treatment difficult.
“The problem is, the brain doesn’t like stuff to just float into it,” Haq explained. “We’ve got a very elaborate defense system to prevent bacteria, foreign cells, cancers, things like that, from getting to the brain.”
How doctors plan to deliver new neurons to the brain
To get around that barrier, doctors are developing a procedure that involves injecting the lab-grown neurons directly into a specific area of the brain known as the striatum.
“This is where the cells actually get injected into this part of the brain called the striatum,” Haq said while pointing to an MRI. “And it’s just a matter of getting the needle there and slowly injecting the cells and withdrawing. That’s the entirety of the procedure.”
While the treatment is still under development, it is already offering hope to patients like Alejandro Caceres, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at just 29 years old.
“I’m 37 years old and I have Parkinson’s,” he said.
Caceres, a husband, father and stepfather, said the disease has already changed his daily life. He struggles with movement on the left side of his body and can no longer write with his left hand. Medication helps manage some symptoms, but only temporarily.
“My issue is my left part of my body. I can’t write with this hand now,” he said, adding that symptoms improve somewhat when he is fully medicated.
As researchers push forward, patients like Caceres say the possibility of new treatments is fueling optimism.
“As a young guy, I feel excited,” he said. “I want things to happen quick so I can try the new method that they have right now. I wish I could try as soon as possible.”
