Optimising functional imaging protocols for assessing the outcome of fetal cell transplantation in Parkinson's disease

Clinical trials aiming to assess the safety and efficacy of foetal cell transplantation in Parkinson's disease rely on the hypothesis that the grafted tissue will survive and grow, restore striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission, improve the connectivity between striatum, thalamus and cortex and thereby produce long-lasting clinical improvement whilst avoiding the development of adverse effects. Although transplantation of human foetal ventral mesencephalic tissue has been reported as one of the most effective reparative therapies in Parkinson's disease patients to date, different studies have shown inconsistent results causing a paucity of new trials over the last decade.

However, during this period, functional imaging alongside other scientific developments from clinical observations and animal work has significantly aided in understanding the mechanisms responsible for the success or failure of grafting human foetal tissue. Recent advances in functional imaging including both positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging could be proven an useful in vivo tool for the development and assessment of new clinically competitive trials.

In this commentary we discuss how an optimised functional imaging protocol could assist new clinical trials using foetal cell transplantation in Parkinson's disease.

Author: Marios Politis
Credits/Source: BMC Medicine 2011, 9:50

Published on: 2011-05-10

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