Did you see that fetal tissue is a bust:
March 8, 2001
Parkinson's Research Is Set Back by Failure of Fetal Cell Implants
By GINA KOLATA
A carefully controlled study that tried to treat Parkinson's disease by implanting cells from aborted fetuses into patients' brains not only failed to show an overall benefit but also revealed a disastrous side effect, scientists report.
...Dr. Paul E. Greene, a neurologist at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and a researcher in the study, said the uncontrollable movements some patients suffered were "absolutely devastating."
"They chew constantly, their fingers go up and down, their wrists flex and distend," Dr. Greene said. And the patients writhe and twist, jerk their heads, fling their arms about.
"It was tragic, catastrophic," he said. "It's a real nightmare. And we can't selectively turn it off."
One man was so badly affected that he could no longer eat and had to use a feeding tube, Dr. Greene said. In another, the condition came and went unpredictably throughout the day, and when it occurred, the man's speech was unintelligible.
For now, Dr. Greene said, his position is clear: `No more fetal transplants. We are absolutely and adamantly convinced that this should be considered for research only. And whether it should be research in people is an open question." ....
nytimes.com |
