Japanese pharma giant Sumitomo Pharma just took a significant step toward rebooting brains ravaged by Parkinson’s disease using stem cells, as reported by Japan Times.
Sumitomo has announced that it has filed for Japanese regulatory approval for a potentially groundbreaking treatment that transplants lab-grown cells directly into the brains of Parkinson’s patients. iPS cells, or induced pluripotent stem cells, make this possible.
These are adult cells turned back into stem cells with all the potential of embryonic ones. A stem cell even an anti-abortion conservative could love. They’re then coaxed into becoming dopamine-producing brain cells, the type Parkinson’s slowly erases.
Japanese Pharma Giant Seeking Approval For Revolutionary Parkinson’s Stem Cell Therapy
Sumitomo says that this is more than just a theoretical treatment. A clinical trial led by Kyoto University involved seven patients, aged 50 to 69, who got millions of these engineered cells injected into both hemispheres of their brains.
Those test subjects have experienced no significant side effects two years later, and more than half of the participants showed improved motor symptoms.
For a disease that affects over 10 million people globally and currently has no cure—just a bunch of meds that temporarily mask the symptoms—this is a huge deal. Though it’s too early to say this is going to be the miracle cure millions with Parkinson’s are hoping for.
A lot more research is needed, which is why Sumitomo is also running U.S. trials. While still in the early stages, the move toward full approval in Japan could make this the world’s first regenerative treatment of its kind for Parkinson’s.
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