Sumitomo Pharma said it obtained conditional approval in Japan to manufacture and market raguneprocel, a stem cell treatment for motor symptoms in Parkinson’s patients who had an inadequate response to therapies like levodopa.
This is a WOW! moment for science!
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is caused by the death of cells in the brain that produce dopamine. About 12 million people have PD worldwide.
The current treatments replace the dopamine or make cells more sensitive to dopamine. But they have side effects that can get worse over time. PD can also be treated by deep brain stimulation.
The new treatment uses iPS cells (induced Pluripotent Stem cells) which are adult cells (like skin or blood cells) that have been “reprogrammed” in a lab to be fresh, new dopamine producing cells.
They are “allogeneic” which means the cells come from a different person (a healthy donor) rather than the patient themselves. This allows the product to be manufactured in large batches and stored “off-the-shelf,” rather than creating a bespoke treatment for every individual. (Many of the new genetically-engineered treatments are made specifically for each person which makes them super-expensive and not clinically widespread.)
This is exciting because the new treatment has developed a technology for clinical use that could be expanded to other diseases. It proves a concept.
Wendy