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UCSF Stem Cell Researchers Cure Parkinson's, Epilepsy In Rats


Posted: 5:24 pm PDT April 8, 2010Updated: 7:29 pm PDT April 8, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Researchers at UCSF have discovered new stem cells they say may help cure a whole host of medical problems.

Doctors at UC San Francisco announced this Thursday that, by introducing these newly discovered cells to the brains of experimental rats, they were able to cure Parkinson’s Disease and stop epilepsy.

They speculate that the use of these cells -- which creates a larger window of time for new connections in the brain to form -- may one day repair brain or spinal cord injuries and may even stop memory loss in humans.

“By introducing these cells, they were able to create a new window of plasticity, which opens up a whole potential new range of applications for this approach,” said UCSF stem cell neurologist Dr. Arnold Kriegstein.

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