Objective The main objective of the present project is to develop cell transplantation into a clinically useful treatment for patients with Parkinson's disease.Other objectives are: to develop strategies to counteract the degeneration of dopamine neurons after transplantation in humans; to study mechanisms of action of dopaminergic grafts in parkinsonian patients; to use neural grafting as a tool to clarify the functional topography of the dopamine system in the human brain and the pathophysiology of different symptoms of Parkinson's disease; to better understand the etiology of Parkinson's disease. Currently available treatments for Parkinson's disease are insufficient, and a majority of patients become severly incapacited. A transplantation therapy would improve the quality of life and living conditions for a large number of patients. Clinical trials have demonstrated that intrastriatal grafts of fetal dopamine neurons can survive and restore function in the human Parkinsonian brain. However, the symptomatic relief is incomplete and must be improved before neural grafting should be regarded as a treatment for Parkinson's disease. We will implant fetal dopamine-rich mesencephalic tissue into the striatum in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. The main goal is to increase the symptomatic relief by inducing a more complete dopaminergic reinnervation of denervated striatal sites on both sides of the brain. This will be achieved by improved procurement of the fetal tissue, by more implantation sites distributed over the entire striatum, and by promoting dopamine neuron survival and outgrowth, first, by inhibition of oxidative mechanisms and, second, by supply of neurotrophic factors. Patients will be assessed clinically before and after grafting according to the Core Assessment Program for Intracerebral Transplantations (CAPIT) and graft survival will be monitored by Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with fluorodopa as tracer. The major scientific questions are: (i) What is the maximum symptomatic relief in a parkinsonian patient after complete engraftment of the caudate and putamen bilaterally ? (ii) What is the relation between graft location and axonal outgrowth and the pattern and degree of symptomatic relief ? (iii) Can the survival of grafted dopamine neurons and the symptomatic relief in operated parkinsonian patients be improved by inhibition of oxidative mechanisms or supply of neurotrophic factors ? Fields of science medical and health sciencesbasic medicinephysiologypathophysiologynatural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyplanetary sciencesplanetary geologymedical and health sciencesbasic medicineneurologyparkinsonmedical and health sciencesclinical medicinetransplantation Programme(s) FP4-BIOMED 2 - Specific research, technological development and demonstration programme in the field of biomedicine and health, 1994-1998 Topic(s) 3.2 - Nervous system damage and repair Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Lunds Universitet EU contribution No data Address Lund University Hospital 221 85 Lund Sweden See on map Total cost No data Participants (3) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Institute of Neurology United Kingdom EU contribution No data Address The National Hospital Queen Square WC1N 3BG London See on map Total cost No data Philipps-Universität Marburg Germany EU contribution No data Address 8,Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 35033 Marburg See on map Total cost No data Royal Postgraduate Medical School United Kingdom EU contribution No data Address 150,Du Cane Road W12 ONN London See on map Total cost No data
