Dental pulp cells may hold key to
treatment of Parkinson's disease

An article in the July 2004 issue of Dentistry Today summarizes a study published in this past May issue of the European Journal of Neuroscience. The study reveals that dental pulp cells, found inside the tooth, may be used to successfully treat patients with Parkinson's disease. The study further shows that these types of cells, the first post-natal stem cells grown as a therapy for Parkinson's disease-type illnesses, provide "great support for nerve cells lost in Parkinson's disease and could be transplanted directly into the affected parts of the brain."

The lead author of the study, Christopher Nostrat of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, says that he believes dental pulp cells are more "robust" because "they also produce the neurotrophic factors that promote nerve cell survival." Stem cells derived from other sources and applied in both animal and human studies in the past have died when grafted into the brain. Dr. Nostrat hopes to refine the delivery method to eventually achieve success.