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An individual's induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be coaxed into becoming specialized cells to replace cells lost to disease (NEJM JW Gen Med Oct 1 2013 and Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:12774).
A Japanese team created iPS cells from four healthy individuals and from three people with Parkinson disease (PD). These cells then were coaxed to become dopaminergic neurons and were transplanted into basal ganglia of monkeys with a Parkinson-like disease. The cells gradually increased their production of dopamine, and the monkeys' movement disorders improved by 40% to 55%. No adverse effects, such as dyskinesia, were observed. After 12 to 24 months of follow-up, the monkeys were sacrificed. At autopsy, the cells were shown to have estab…