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The Mainichi
4 days ago
- Health
- The Mainichi
Final phase of trial for Parkinson's drug to treat Alzheimer's begins in Japan
KYOTO (Kyodo) -- The final phase of a clinical trial aiming to treat familial Alzheimer's disease using existing medication for Parkinson's disease has been in progress since May, a Japanese research institute involved in the project said Tuesday. Led by drugmaker Towa Pharmaceutical Co. and Kyoto University's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, the project utilizes induced pluripotent stem cells to identify effective treatments, known as "iPS drug discovery." The clinical trial being conducted until March 2028 using bromocriptine, a drug used to treat Parkinson's, at several medical institutions including Mie University Hospital aims to enroll 24 patients suffering from familial Alzheimer's disease who carry mutations of a specific gene, with half of them receiving a placebo. Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Medicine can temporarily slow progress of the symptoms but at present there is no treatment to completely cure the disease. Familial Alzheimer's disease, also known as early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease, is a rare form of the condition generally affecting individuals below the age of 60.
Japan Times
17-04-2025
- Health
- Japan Times
Japan succeeds in improving Parkinson's symptoms with iPS cells
A Japanese group said Thursday that it succeeded in improving symptoms of Parkinson's disease patients with nerve cells produced from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Symptoms improved in four of the patients participating in a clinical trial in which nerve cells made from iPS cells were transplanted into their brains, said Kyoto University Hospital and the national university's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA). Sumitomo Pharma, which supplied the nerve cells, plans to apply for a state approval for the treatment under a fast-track system for regenerative medicine products that gives approvals on certain conditions for use over limited periods. The Osaka-based company aims to gain such an approval within this fiscal year at the earliest. A paper on the clinical trial was published on the British journal Nature. Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative condition in which motor function is impaired due to a decrease in nerve cells that produce dopamine, a chemical that works in the brain. Japan is believed to have about 290,000 people with the disease. While symptomatic treatment using drugs is available, no fundamental cure has been established. Between 2018 and 2023, Kyoto University Hospital and CiRA transplanted 5 million to 10 million dopamine neurons made from iPS cells into the central part of the brains of seven patients between the ages of 50 and 69. The institutes observed the progress for two years to examine the effectiveness and safety. As a result, no serious side effects were seen in any of the seven. In the six patients checked to see whether the treatment was effective, dopamine nerve activity increased after the transplantation and the amount of dopamine in the brain also rose. Motor function improved in four of them. Younger patients with milder symptoms tended to show bigger improvements, according to the institutes. "The treatment has been shown to be effective in patients. It's a great achievement," said Jun Takahashi, professor at CiRA. "We hope to deliver the cell transplant treatment to many patients as soon as possible."
