[Medicine] The Third Pan Pacific Symposium on Stem Cells Research Held in Taichung, Introducing New Parkinsonism Treatment
The Liberty Times &
udn.com (2010/04/19) Beside of the drug treatment and chip treatment on Parkinsonism, an American scholar presented a new method, stem cells treatment, at the Third Pan Pacific Symposium on Stem Cells Research, which took place in Taichung on April 17 and 18, shedding new light on Parkinsonism treatment. On the other side, because present National Health Insurance does not pay for chip treatment, which is held to be better than drug treatment, some patients urged the government to change the insurance policy, as well.
Dr. Roy Bakay, a Professor of neurosurgery from the U.S., said, according to the result of animal experiment, stem cells treatment will be the new trend for Parkinsonism treatment. Such a treatment is to embed specifically-cultivated stem cells to the patient's brain to make it regenerate the cells secreting dopamine. This is a treatment addressing the root causes. After one more year of observation at the animal experiment stage, it will enter human experiment stage.
Chairman of the Symposium, Superintendent of China Medical University Beigan Hospital, Dr. Shinn-Zong LIN said, present treatments on Parkinsonism include drug treatment and chip treatment. The former has the problems of efficacy recession and the side effects such as dyskinesia; the latter is a better option, but its high cost is not included in the benefits of the National Health Insurance. Some patients urged the government to make a change yesterday.
Related Website http://www.ppssc.com.tw/program.html
Further Information:
The Liberty Times 2010/04/19 (Chinese)
Udn.com 2010/04/19 (Chinese)