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The goal of the study is to see if it is possible to replace lost dopamine cells with healthy cells grown from stem cells. The researchers’ hope is to create a pioneering biological drug that slows down the effects of Parkinson’s disease.
Thomas Matsson was the first in the world to try the cells. Today he avoids the feeling of walking around in syrup and he has a completely different fluidity in his movements.
“Got my body back”
– I have regained a body that feels like mine and I have been able to reduce my medication. The fear of falling is gone, says Thomas Matsson.
So far, five subjects have been operated on with the researchers’ lab-grown cells.
Today, the researchers can confirm that the cells survive in the brain and that they produce dopamine.
– It’s super exciting, the cells meet all the safety requirements required to increase the dose, says project manager Malin Parmar, professor of cellular neuroscience at Lund University.
The dose is doubled
Now the next three patients receive a double dose, with 14 million brain cells each.
Are there any risks with doubling the dose?
– There is always a theoretical risk of tumors forming and a risk of producing too much dopamine in the brain. I think that risk is extremely small, says chief physician and responsible investigator Gesine Paul-Visse.
If all goes well with the first eight patients, the research team will continue with larger studies in collaboration with a pharmaceutical company. The hope is that the cultured cells will be available as medicines throughout the world in seven to ten years. The interest from the patient group is enormous.
– There are even patients who live abroad who wanted to move to Sweden to participate in this study, but the recruitment has ended, says Gesine Paul-Visse.
What is your message to patients living with Parkinson’s today?
– There is absolute hope.
Hear how Thomas Matsson’s life changed with the new cells in the video above.
