Physicians have implanted genetical...

Physicians have implanted genetically modified tissue into the brain of a patient with Alzheimer's disease, according to an April 10 2001 recently made knowns release from the University of California, San Diego, seminary of Medicine. This is the first phase of an experimental gene therapy protocol to treat Alzheimer's disease. The practice lasted 11 hours and was performed in succession a 60-year-old Caucasian woman who was in the early states of the disease.

This subject of attention marks the first attempt to use human gene therapy to treat a nervous order disease. Researchers will try to stop Alzheimer's cell loss by using gene therapy to deliver a natural brain-survival indivisible particle to the dying brain small cavitys The purpose of this phase individual clinical trial is to determine whether the operation is safe, according to the release.

Researchers do not count upon gene therapy to cure Alzheimer's disease, on the contrary they are hopeful that it may fortify and possibly restore brain lonely dwellings and relieve some of its symptoms. The deed targets a class of lonely dwellings located in the cholinergic hypothesis which is important for supporting memory and cognitive function and degenerates during the course of Alzheimer's disease. If the protocol is lucky implanted cells could begin to affect brain function in the same to two months. Researchers caution, however, that it may take several years to determine, by means of testing the protocol on a large enough number of patients, wether the therapy will be useful.

UCSD Team Performs First Surgery in Gene Therapy Protocol for Alzheimer's Disease (new release, San Diego: University of California, San Diego, April 10 2001)http:// www.ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/health/protocol.htm (accessed 19 April 001)

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