Chronic Lyme Disease Brings Out the Medical Hypocrites

From Jenna's Lyme Blog

http://lymediseaseresource.com/wordpress/chronic-lyme-disease-brings-out-the-medical-hypocrites/

 

Perhaps it is too early for some to applaud the new blood culture to diagnose Lyme disease.  In spite of the fact that all testing so far shows the test to be 100% accurate (barring contamination,) Medscape's Medical Journal recently published "Lyme Culture Test Causes Uproar" jumping on this test as if it is a plot to get people who have aches and pains, and think they have Lyme disease due to the internet, to spend money on a test that hasn't been adequately validated.

 The MMJ's journalist, Janis C. Kelly, reports:

Physicians on all sides of the Lyme disease arena agree that a reliable culture test for active Borrelia infection would be a breakthrough. They differ on whether it is a good idea to market a blood test to consumers before it has been validated, peer-reviewed, published, reviewed by the FDA, or widely vetted by infectious disease experts with experience in Borrelia infections.

Joseph J. Burrascano Jr, MD, senior vice president of medical affairs and medical director for Advanced Research Corporation, voiced the complaint of many in the field that the 2-tier Lyme disease test approved and used by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relies on a serologic assay that can only indicate possible past exposure.

"What is very much needed is a direct test that can indicate whether living Borrelia are present in a patient," Dr. Burrascano said.

No Published Data

Soon after Advanced Laboratory Services' initial public announcements about the new culture test, emails and public statements attributed to Dr. Burrascano began appearing on Lyme-related Internet sites, including comments that the culture test was approximately 94% sensitive and 100% specific.

Dr. Burrascano told Medscape Medical News that the validity of the culture test was established using blood samples provided by physicians and that the identity of Borrelia was confirmed by its ability to grow in Borrelia-specific media, by its characteristic appearance on darkfield microscopy, by reacting to published Borrelia-specific polyclonal and monoclonal immunostains, by DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at 2 different loci, and by direct DNA sequencing. These data are so far unpublished.

According to Dr. Burrascano, "All clinical samples turned out to be B burgdorferisensu stricto, which would be expected, as the clinical samples all came from patients who met the strict CDC surveillance case definition as having Lyme…. In addition, when a large number of normal controls were tested (well people), none of them had any positive cultures, meaning that there were no false-positives."

Dr. Burrascano said that a paper reporting the data has been submitted for publication and that "2 university-based research labs are each separately well on their way in validating the results of Advanced Labs."

The article puts a great emphasis on the cost of the test ($595) – obviously unaware how insignificant this is to individuals and sometimes entire families who are incapacitated with painful symptoms that doctors at numerous clinics and/or hospitals can't diagnose.  This leaves the patient(s) feeling crazy, frustrated and desperate.

Where can we turn?

Dr. Burrascano is a trusted resource for those of us who have suffered or are currently suffering this nightmare of "shadow boxing", and is a source of hope and understanding at a time when the major medical establishments seem to want anyone who mentions "chronic Lyme disease" to be institutionalized for quackery.

This article is a great example.

For instance, Advanced Lab Services is vilified for using the following quote/fact in their marketing:

"The CDC estimates that in the USA there are more than 300,000 new cases each year and there may be as many as 4 million people currently infected."

This statistic doesn't surprise anyone who is currently involved in the research or treatment of chronic Lyme, however,  challenged because this information is extrapolated from information published by the CDC in different places.  And yet a representative from the CDC refutes the statement as untrue which causes conspiracy theorists to go bonkers! Perhaps the CDC needs better training on the issue of Lyme disease as they still maintain that the two-tier testing is to be used as supportive data for diagnosis – not as a diagnosis itself. However, the same government agency requires a positive ELISA and 5 positive bands on the western blot for a confirmed case of Lyme disease for their national monitoring of the epidemic.

Another glaring example of hypocrisy in this article comes from Gary Green, MD, infectious diseases chief and clinical director of the HIV Team & Travel Clinic at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa, California.  He is quoted as follows:

Dr. Green said, "The problem with a test that has not been validated and not been tested outside the source of invention is that we don't know whether it is at all accurate. Using an unvalidated test in modern medicine is dangerous and unethical."

"Unfortunately," Dr. Green said, "many people truly struggling with symptoms they think may be related to chronic Lyme disease understandably lose objectivity about a test like this to discern whether it is credible or valid. The medical community needs to be critical of itself and of the tests that we use."

Dr. Green added, "What I would say to a patient concerned about Lyme disease, struggling with a myriad of symptoms, is that we don't know if this test is valid. Until it is validated, it is irresponsible to use this in clinical medicine for the fear that you might be wrong in diagnosis. The harm is that perhaps there is a different and accurate etiology we are missing, and we get misled with a misdiagnosis from this unreliable test result. The patient may have objective disease or infection from another etiology that would not be identified if we hang our hat on this misinformation. It will derail diagnosis and treatment."

Where was Dr. Green when the two-tier testing protocol was developed?  Where is the validation evidence that shows reliable diagnosis results for those? Mustn't we all agree that the two-tier protocol is dangerous, unethical and irresponsible to use a diagnostic tool because it, too, is not reliable?

What are the doctors afraid of?

They are afraid that this new test would prove all of the "false positives" in the ELISA and western blood assays are actually true positives.  This would raise the number of Lyme infected people into the tens of millions of people if not more.

They are afraid that a reliable Lyme test would prove chronic Lyme disease not only exists, but that the powerful IDSA along with the self-righteous leaders of that great organization have been WRONG.

They are afraid of losing respect and perhaps even self-respect for treating suffering patients like idiots.

I will end with this true story that happened to me in Boston.  After months of doxycycline my symptoms had only gotten worse after my initial crash after decades of mystery illnesses and several organs removed due to "unknown" infection.

One of the top infectious disease specialists at Lahey Clinic (also a professor at Harvard Medical School) told me he would not order a western blot because that would be fishing for a false positive. I asked how it would be false if I had all the symptoms for Lyme disease.  He replied:

"Yes, you have all the symptoms for Lyme disease but I don't believe in chronic Lyme disease."

Look for my book "Scientific Evidence of Chronic Lyme" coming soon.

Jenna

 

 

Bob

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Bob Cowart

Email: bob@cowart.com

Phone: 510-540-6667

Books: http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Cowart/e/B001HOJ3ZQ

Psychotherapy: www.newtherapy.vpweb.com

Blog: http://bobcowart.blogspot.com 

Facebook: bcowart1

Twitter: @bobcowart

Improved Culture Conditions for the Growth and Detection of Borrelia from Human Serum

Here's an important study to check out. This is the kind of thing we need more of. We need to learn whether or not Bb infection persists after relatively short (14 or 30 day) antibiotic therapy.  

http://www.medsci.org/v10p0362.htm

In this report we present a method to cultivate Borrelia spirochetes from human serum samples with high efficiency. This method incorporates improved sample collection, optimization of culture media and use of matrix protein. The method was first optimized utilizing Borrelia laboratory strains, and later by demonstrating growth of Borrelia from sera from fifty seropositive Lyme disease patients followed by another cohort of 72 Lyme disease patients, all of whom satisfied the strict CDC surveillance case definition for Lyme disease. The procedure resulted in positive cultures in 47% at 6 days and 94% at week 16. Negative controls included 48 cases. The positive identification of Borrelia was performed by immunostaining, PCR, and direct DNA sequencing.

Severe and Constant Stomach Distension

I am forwarding this from the CA Lyme listserv that I subscribe to, because I am having this problem, too. The author of this note seems to have had success by changing to different probiotics.

Re: Severe & Constant Stomach Distention

Wed Feb 6, 2013 5:59 pm (PST) 

I had such severe bloating: it put my back out, which was crippling .... and kept me from functioning, altogether. Among other things, it could be a problem with clostridia. At least, that approach is what worked for me. You might try an experiment using "Culturelle". They sell it at Walgreens - but best price is at Costco. It doesn't say it on the label (though, it does say on the product's website) that it is Lactobacillus rhamnosus. For 3 of 4 people I've recommended to try, it worked - and, big time! It doesn't take long to kick in and it's safe to take A LOT of it, once you try a small amount to be sure it doesn't disagree with you, as an individual.

Along with this, -definitely- stop taking any Lactobacillus acidophilus or L. plantarum. They are the most "fermenting" (gas creating) of the probiotics. It could be acidophilus, alone, that's causing the problem!

Lastly, do look at Harry's site, CustomProbiotics.com. If all the above works for you, then his product: Lactate-D Free, is the best I've found. It has completely tamed my gut. I no longer have any bloating. ....And it used to look like I was carrying triplets!!! He's available by phone - number at his website. He's my probiotic guru.

His products might seem high priced, but they last -so- long that, ultimately, they're completely reasonable. "Lactose-D Free" -is- his product that "cured" me.

Another thing about the fermenting and lactate producing probiotics is that they affect us neurologically, as well. Harry sent me two studies that showed why people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome must avoid them - hence, his Lactate-D Free formula.

A trial with the Culturelle will tell you almost right away, if you're on the right track for yourself. But, DO be sure you stop the acidophilus and any plantarum, also.

Phone detection of Parkinson’s approaches 99 percent accuracy

Very exciting, if true.

http://mobihealthnews.com/20068/phone-detection-of-parkinsons-approaches-99-percent-accuracy/

Zinc 'keeps immune system in check'

Zinc has been shown to reduce the severity of the common cold

Researchers say they have gained a key insight into how zinc helps the immune system fight infection.

A study shows that zinc stops the immune system from spiralling out of control, as happens when people develop sepsis.

The researchers say the findings could also explain why taking zinc supplements at the start of a cold can stem its severity.

It is thought the finding could have implications for other diseases.

Although research has highlighted the importance of zinc for the immune system, because the mineral has many complex roles in the body it is not understood in any detail how it helps fight off infection.

After previous studies in mice, the researchers from Ohio State University had shown that zinc-deficiency could lead to excessive inflammation.

This is what happens in sepsis, when in response to a severe infection, the body goes into overdrive, with potentially fatal consequences.

Feedback loop

Through further experiments in human cells and animal studies the researchers found that a protein called NF-kB lured zinc into the immune cells that responded fastest to fight infection.

Once inside, the zinc then put the brakes on further activity in the NF-kB pathway, slowing down the immune response and limiting the amount of inflammation, the study, in Cell Reports, indicated.

It was effectively a feedback loop, stopping the process getting out of hand, the researchers said.

Study leader, Dr Daren Knoell, said: "The immune system has to work under very strict balance, and this is a classic example of where more is not always better.

"We want a robust inflammatory response, which is part of our natural programming to defend us against a bug.

"But if that is unchecked, and there is too much inflammation, then it not only attacks the pathogen but can also cause much more collateral damage."

He added that the finding narrowed the gap in scientists' understanding of the role zinc had in fighting infection, but that it was too early to make the leap to zinc as a treatment for sepsis.

Intriguing

Zinc has been shown to reduce the severity of the common cold in humans and possibly shorten its duration.

"Whether this is because of improved balance in immune function, similar to what we report with sepsis, remains to be proven but perhaps requires further study," Dr Knoell said.

Prof John Beattie, head of the micronutrients group at the University of Aberdeen, said NF-kB cropped up in many processes in the body, including atherosclerosis, which leads to blocked arteries seen in heart disease and has been linked to zinc deficiency.

"The implications of the work extend beyond the impact of zinc on innate immune function," he said.

** Zinc 'keeps immune system in check' **
Researchers say they have gained a key insight into how zinc helps the immune system fight infection.
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21372790 >
 

 

Lumbrokinase for biofilm busting?

From Jenna's Lyme blog:

Has anyone heard of Lumbrokinase?   Well, if you haven't, lumbrokinase is a group of six, novel proteolytic enzymes derived from the earthworm Lumbricus Rubellus, and it is slowly establishing itself as possibly the best and brightest new treatment for chronic Lyme sufferer.

I say a new treatment because it is new information for me, generously supplied by a fellow Lymie Ted Patterson who has tried it and feels better than he has in years. The more I researched this enzyme, the more excited I have become.

First, lumbrokinase has been used successfully in China's four top hospitals in nerve and infectious diseases since 1995 without any harmful side effects. Initially used for the potent ability to dissolve blood clots and vein thrombosis, it was soon discovered to improve the quality of blood in a number of ways that are still being discovered.

According to Allery Research Group,   medical reports from leading researchers and doctors have further discovered the power of lumbrokinase to not only dissolve clots which obviously helps protect against heart disease and strokes, but also:...

For the rest of the story:

http://lymediseaseresource.com/wordpress/new-hope-for-most-severe-chronic-cases-of-lyme-disease-part-one/

Lyme Culture Test Causes Uproar

Medscape Medical News

Janis C. Kelly

Jan 30, 2013

A new chapter in the Lyme disease controversy opened in September 2011 when Advanced Laboratory Services, Inc, announced the commercial availability of a new culture test for Borrelia burgdorferi. Some Lyme patient advocacy groups and physicians began encouraging patients to have the $595 test, but others are concerned about the early commercialization of the still-unvalidated test. This concern may result in changes to how the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates so-called "homebrew" or laboratory-developed tests (LDTs).

Physicians on all sides of the Lyme disease arena agree that a reliable culture test for active Borrelia infection would be a breakthrough. They differ on whether it is a good idea to market a blood test to consumers before it has been validated, peer-reviewed, published, reviewed by the FDA, or widely vetted by infectious disease experts with experience in Borrelia infections.

Joseph J. Burrascano Jr, MD, senior vice president of medical affairs and medical director for Advanced Research Corporation, voiced the complaint of many in the field that the 2-tier Lyme disease test approved and used by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relies on a serologic assay that can only indicate possible past exposure.

"What is very much needed.....

To read the rest of the story:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/778482

Dr David Martz cured from ALS

2011 IDA Research Award - Dr David Martz

Dr. David Martz talks about his own case of ALS, and how he was prepared to die from it. As he was 'getting his ducks in a row' a colleague suggested he be tested for Lyme. Here's his amazing story of recovery from this usually terminal disease.

The 2011 IDA Research Award was presented to Dr. David Martz at the Invisible Disabilities Association Honor Awards Banquet.

Dr. Martz was chosen based upon his extensive ALS-Motor Neuron Disease and Lyme disease research as a physician and a board member of the International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society (ILADS). Born out of his personal experience with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), Dr Martz has a passion to discover possible treatments for patients living with these illnesses.

Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY9FdULDV6M

The NRA vs. Civilization

Unrelated rant about gun control in this country. But since anybody reading this cares about the welfare of other people, and of yourselves and your own well-being, I offer this up for public consumption. I guess I got on a roll this morning. And perhaps this says something about my state of health. I'm still shaking like a fish out of water, but my brain seems to be functioning. Kind of a miracle.

This is an open letter to anybody who is siding with the NRA and defenders of the second amendment, or anyone giving pushback to Pres. Obama and VP Biden on their efforts to control gun sales and ownership:

Using the logic of the Second Amendment to protect ourselves from either our own government becoming overbearing or against invasion by a foreign force, we should all be allowed to acquire our own arsenal of nukes, jet fighters, grenade launchers, metal piercing bullets, drones, and so on. Do you really think we can protect ourselves in this era of advanced weaponry, bio threats such as anthrax, and god knows what all else, with just a dinky ak-47, Uzi, or Glock? Let's get real. If we seriously want to be up-to-date in fail-safe self protection, we US citizens must all insist on owning not only a conventional arsenal, but also the most virulent computer viruses and keys to the digital 'back doors' so we could implant malware into the Department of Defense's or foreign invaders' computer systems. Time for a reality check, NRA -- There is no reliable way that you or I could ever defend ourselves against a government crackdown or a foreign incursion with the two shotguns we have hangin' in the gun rack in the old pickup.

On an individual level of self protection, maybe yes, under ideal conditions if I had a pistol in my pocket and somebody approached me down at the 7-Eleven where I go for my midnight slushy and they were brandishing a gun, well maybe (and that's a big maybe) I could whip it out and shoot somebody, hopefully the assailant, and not an innocent bystander or the clerk. Suppose I killed him (or her)? How would that feel? What if it were the wrong person? What if s/he didn't really have a gun? What if it was dark out and he had a hoodie on, and I just thought he had a gun because he put his hands in his pockets? I would have a homicide on my conscience while sitting in my 8' x 10' prison cell, after the trauma and expense of a drawnout trial.

In my family we all had guns. Even my mom was a crack shot. We called her Annie Oakley. She shot squirrels out of the kitchen window, just above the sink, if the squirrels were trying to poach the suet that we had meticulously hung on the Dogwood tree for the pleasure of the birds. Birds outranked squirrels in my mothers worldview. It was like a rite of passage in my family to receive a gun, typically for Christmas. (You gotta love the irony. Who, or what, would Jesus shoot?) I can still see that snapshot of me sitting in front of the Christmas tree holding my new .22 gauge rifle that my dad bought me, down at Sears. I looked a little confused. I guess I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to smile or not. The clip could hold five, maybe 10 bullets. It had a single-action bolt. We're not talking assault rifle here. Still, my dad was was a 'full-bird’ colonel in the Army reserves. He fought in World War II. We had a bunch of guns in the basement. We were supposed to know how to clean, maintain, aim, and shoot stuff at a distance, like shrpshooters do. As far as I can recall, we were never actually told why. Luckily, nobody in my family was ever shot by accident. Considering the amount of alcohol that was around, it's kind of a miracle.

Citing the Second Amendment as proof of our almost god-given right to own and use as many guns as we like is a specious argument put forward by NRA members. Okay, I am willing to compromise: I guess it's alright for everybody to own a musket, a little bag of gunpowder, a flint rock or two, and some musket balls. I think that's what the founders probably had in mind. The 13 little, new colonies were a bit paranoid about how they pissed off King George by winning the revolution with their disorganized, little ragtag army. A militia that used 'cowardly,' terrorist, guerrilla tactics. Our forefathers hid themselves in the woods, shot from behind trees, even shot officers off of their horses. (Seriously uncouth warfare etiquette. We were definitely the terrorists of the day.) But this is 2013. Arming the entire population with high-speed assault rifles, a 45 mm pistol in our pockets, and hiring thousands of armed guards to police every school in our nation is not really a solution, unless you think there's something exciting and romantic about shootouts down the street at your kids' elementary school. And foreign Invasions come in forms that we can't even predict. How come nobody had a antiaircraft missile at Ground Zero on the day the jetliners crashed into the World Trade Centers? Oops.

NRA members argue that if everyone carried a gun, then it would be easy to take down some lunatic shooter who was going on a binge in the middle of a movie theater. Is this the kind of society we want? Everybody packing a gun in their trench coat? Worrying that if you cut someone off at a stoplight that they might pull a gun on you? This isn't a rerun of Bonanza, where Little Joe saves the day with his six-shooter. Can we look to countries who have far fewer gun deaths and far fewer guns, as real-world examples of solutions to the gun-related homocide and suicide? Why are we, as a nation, so afraid to look to other nations to solve a problem that they have already solved? Are we so young as a country and so full of hubris that we can't ask someone else, someone older and wiser, for help? It's time to wake up, and grow up, America. We may still be the land of the rugged individualist, but this is no longer the wild, wild West.

I'm old enough to remember the days when there were no seatbelts in our cars. We had a real 'woodie' Ford station wagon with real wood on the sides. Mom called it Jezebel, long before I knew what Jezebel meant. Then we had a 1955 three-hole Buick, green and white. Wow, that was a beauty. Lots of chrome. Then a Rambler, a kind of ugly, green bulbous thing. Then a very uninspired and utilitarian Ford Comet station wagon, but dad finally made it up to us by coming home with a shiny new Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. Well, it wasn't actually new. Dad had lived through depression of course, so shelling out for all those unnecessary new-car extras was against his religion. The fruit doesn't fall too far from the tree, so actually it wasn't until I was 50 that I bought my first new car. And what was it? A Prius, of course. Very economical. Anyway, the Oldsmobile Vista-Cruiser, now that car was amazing. It even had two skylights and three rows of seats, and it was as long as a fishing boat. It drove like one, too. In all of these vintage cars, three could sit comfortably on the front bench seats. There were no seatbelts and no headrests. Taking long trips in the car was just like being in the living room at home. You could jump in the back seat, up to front seat, and back again. It was a big playpen on wheels. And no seatbelts to get in the way.

But because there were no headrests, if you got hit from behind, there was a pretty good chance you'd suffer whiplash or a broken neck. I remember Ralph Nader coming onto the scene and writing his groundbreaking 1965 book "Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile" which accused U.S. auto makers of knowingly producing cars that endangered public safety, all for the sake of profit. Detroit went ballistic, and even took very nasty measures in hopes of the defaming and denigrating Nader. But, thanks to the guy whom we love to hate for ruining the potential election of Al Gore, now we take it totally for granted that we have not only seatbelts but maybe even six or ten airbags, and all kinds of crash-survival engineering integrated into our cars. Likewise, all it takes is a trip to, say, China to be reminded of the progress we have made as a nation in exposing and acting in the health impacts of smoking and breathing second-hand smoke. It was a tough battle against the tobacco dynasties of Philip Morris et al. but we citizens scored a 206 billion-dollar settlement on that one. Not too shabby.

My point being that there is precedent for change in this country, change that protects its citizens. Change that is necessary, and intelligent. Even if it's an uphill battle against brobdingnagian political and corporate entities that have no heart, all that is required is a unified and persistent effort.

So, there is my anti-gun rant for the day. And, I'm not stopping until something changes. That's my New Year's resolution. I guess I got inspired by yesterday's inauguration ceremony. I don't know what you thought of it, but I thought it Seriously Kicked Ass (SKA), which means in civilized lingo, it was about the most inspiring thing I've seen in a good while. That arrangement of the Battle Hymn of the Republic was seriously surreal (in a good way). All the other music was quite an amazing as well. Nice to see James Taylor. His fingers must of been freezing but he could still play his old Martin guitar. Afterwards, the local PBS TV station here in the San Francisco Bay area, showed a documentary about the relationship between Martin Luther King and Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy. If you weren't already in tears from the inauguration scene, the incredible music and poetry, and Obama's speech, that documentary would tip the scales.

There is a scene in which Robert decides that it is his responsibility as Atty. Gen. of the United States to inform the gathered crowd that King has just been shot dead. Despite fears of riots and concerns for his safety, Kennedy went ahead with plans to attend a rally at 17th and Broadway in the heart of Indianapolis's African-American ghetto. That evening Kennedy addressed the crowd, many of whom had not heard about King's assassination. Instead of the rousing campaign speech they expected, Kennedy offered brief, unrehearsed, impassioned remarks for peace that is considered to be one of the great public addresses of the modern era. If you're interested in reading more about the speech check this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy's_speech_on_the_assassination_of_Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.

As we all know, shortly thereafter, this peace-loving member of a family that had recently suffered one assassination (JFK), was further burdened with another. In relatively short order three of the free world's visionaries were killed by guns. Not by disease or natural causes. By guns. I remember that time quite clearly. I was at a very impressionable age, having been in about the sixth or seventh grade. It felt as though the world was coming apart at the seams. Schools were closed, people didn't go to work. We were all glued to our television sets. I can't help but wonder what this nation would be like today if Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy were still kicking around. I don't believe that if ordinary citizens attending the events where these leaders were murdered had been carrying guns, that they could've intervened. The shootings happened too quickly, and in the case of JFK, the shooter(s) was in the sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository Building. No one had a clue.

I believe the statistics make it clear: Guns don't kill people, people with guns kill people. People also kill themselves, unfortunately -- intentionally and accidentally -- when guns are handy. Let's sign petitions, write letters to our representatives, talk to one another and make a great deal of noise until something changes.

Bob Cowart

Stem Cells Reverse Disease in a Model of Parkinson's Disease

May 16, 2011 — A team of researchers -- led by Sang-Hun Lee, at Hanyang University, Republic of Korea, and Kwang-Soo Kim, at Harvard Medical School, Belmont, -- has now compared the ability of cells derived from different types of human stem cell to reverse disease in a rat model of Parkinson disease and identified a stem cell population that they believe could be clinically relevant.

Parkinson disease results from the progressive loss of a specific subpopulation of nerve cells. Current treatments provide only relief from the symptoms of the disease and cannot reverse the nerve cell loss. Stem cells are considered by many to be promising candidate sources of cells to reverse nerve cell loss in individuals with Parkinson disease through their ability to regenerate and repair diseased tissues.

There are two types of stem cell considered in this context: embryonic stem (ES) cells, which are derived from early embryos; and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are derived by reprogramming cells of the body such that they have the ability to generate any cell type. In turn, cells of the body can be reprogrammed to become iPS cells in one of two ways: the reprogramming proteins can be transferred directly into the cells (protein-based iPS cells) or viruses can be used to deliver to the cells the genetic information necessary for producing the reprogramming proteins (virus-based iPS cell). Lee, Kim, and colleagues found several problems with cells derived from virus-based human iPS cells that precluded their use in the Parkinson disease model but found that nerve cells derived from protein-based human iPS cells reversed disease when transplanted into the brain of rats modeling Parkinson disease. They therefore conclude that protein-based human iPS cells could be used in the treatment of individuals with Parkinson disease.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110516121419.htm