Kordower and McKay will use federally approved embryonic stem cell lines (a self-regenerating colony of cells) to regenerate dopamine in animal models of Parkinson's disease. They will test five cell lines to determine which cell line is most effective in restoring dopamine production. A stem cell is a primitive type of cell that can be coaxed into developing into most of the 220 types of cells found in the human body (e.g. blood cells, heart cells, brain cells, etc). Over 100 million Americans suffer from diseases that may eventually be treated more effectively or even cured, with stem cells. These include heart disease, diabetes and PD.
Kordower is Professor of Neurological Sciences and Director of the Research Center for Brain Repair at Rush. In October 2000, he published research results that demonstrated that gene therapy could protect and reverse the anatomical and cellular changes that occur in the brains of primates with Parkinson's disease.
In this new research endeavor, Kordower and his associates plan to develop cell lines that would meet a number of pre-determined criteria of the midbrain dopamine-producing neurons that are lost in PD. If such cell lines are developed, they will be made available to scientists worldwide to accelerate research in one of the most promising areas of potential PD treatment.
While cell transplantation therapy may be the ultimate use of cells resulting from this initiative, many avenues of PD research will benefit from an available source of dopaminergic cells. Researchers studying the causes of PD will be able to develop models relevant to understand the disease and subsequently produce new strategies to prevent, limit, or reverse the process of neuronal degeneration. A consistent source of identical cells will also increase the ability to compare data from various projects. The grants were awarded to seven research teams in the United States and two in Sweden whose proposals topped a distinguished international pool of 41 applicants. Each application underwent a rigorous two-tiered peer-review process, culminating at a final grant review meeting held December 7, 2001 in New York City. The foundation's stem cell line research program was launched September 7, 2001, as the principal recommendation of a MJFF-sponsored meeting of renowned cell biologists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons with expertise in PD and other neurological disorders to assess the status and potential of cell-based therapies for PD. Parkinson's is a slowly progressive disease that affects 1.2 million people in the United States and Canada, 15 percent of whom are diagnosed before age 50. It is associated with hand tremors, generalized slowness of movement, stiffness of limbs and gait or balance problems.
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center encompasses the 824-bed Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital (including Rush Children's Hospital), the 110-bed Johnson R. Bowman Health Center and Rush University. Rush University, which today has 1,271 students, is home to Rush Medical College, one of the first medical schools in the Midwest. It also includes one of the nation's top-ranked nursing colleges, the Rush College of Nursing, as well as the College of Health Sciences and the Graduate College, which offer graduate programs in allied health and the basic sciences. Rush is noted for bringing together patient care and research to address major health problems, including arthritis and orthopedic disorders, cancer, heart disease, mental illness neurological disorders and diseases associated with aging. The medical center is also the tertiary hub of the Rush System for Health.