Parkinson’s hope buoyed by cell study

A BREAKTHROUGH at Edinburgh University could offer hope for sufferers of Parkinson’s disease.

Scientists there have generated stem cells from a rapidly growing form of the illness, the first time such a development has been achieved.

It is thought this will help researchers model the disease in a laboratory setting, allowing for a greater understanding of how it grows, and potentially how it can be stopped.

Dr Tolo Kunath, from the university’s Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine, said: “Current drugs for Parkinson’s alleviate symptoms of the condition. Modelling the disease in a dish with real Parkinson’s neurons enables us to test drugs that may halt or reverse the condition.”

The study benefited from a grant of around £300,000 from the charity Parkinson’s UK.