Cloned cells cure mice with Parkinson's disease

Scientists at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York have successfully used therapeutic cloning to treat mice with the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The research, which is published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, showed that cells from cloned mouse embryos could alleviate the symptoms of the brain disorder. Team leader Lorenz Studer said the study was 'proof of principle' that cloned embryonic stem cells could be turned into a variety of useful cell types.

Therapeutic cloning is the proposed use of stem cells taken from cloned early embryos to develop 'tissue-matched' therapies for a range of diseases. Parkinson's disease is caused by a gradual loss of dopamine-producing cells in the area of the brain that controls movement. To treat the affected mice, the researchers first created cloned mouse embryos using genetic material extracted from mouse tail cells. They then isolated stem cells (the body's 'master cells') from the embryos, and grew them in the laboratory into cells that could make dopamine. The team used these cells to treat six mice with brain damage that affected their movement, and found that their symptoms disappeared.

Although other groups have shown that cloned embryo stem cells can be used to treat Parkinson's disease in mice, this study is apparently the first to use such specialised brain cells. If used in humans, this approach could overcome the problem of tissue rejection following cell transplants from unrelated individuals. However, Studer told BBC News Online that scientific and political obstacles meant that his team were still a long way from moving into human research.