Stand Up For Science

The BBC and Guardian newspaper today report that the results of a clinical trial to evaluate a gene therapy technique for the treatment of Parkinson's disease have been published in the scientific journal /Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. /

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7103127.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/nov/20/medicalresearch.health

The results of the study conducted by Dr. David Eidelberg and colleagues at the New York University School of Medicine are very promising; not only does the treatment appear to be safe but in the majority of patients significant clinical improvements were observed that persisted a year after treatment.
Pro-Test have discussed Dr. Eidelberg's work before in an essay on the role of animals in research on gene therapy for Parkinson's disease http://www.pro-test.org.uk/facts.php?lt=aa
Development and pre-clinical evaluation of this therapy relied heavily on research using rats and monkeys, and Dr. Eidelberg's work is further proof if any were needed that animal research continues to have a vital role alongside brain imaging techniques such as PET.

Paul Browne