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In response to Lang et al’s letter in response to the Lancet Neurology’s editorial, Lang et al laud deep brain stimulation as “a clear alternative for anyone who would have been a candidate for the GDNF trial.”
The authors totally ignore the autopsy results of a Bristol Phase I participant which showed regrowth of nerve fibers in the putamen area of the brain as a direct result of GDNF infusion. (1) There is no other treatment for Parkinson’s disease that has demonstrated this. How can people with Parkinson’s not ask for GDNF knowing it has been shown to regenerate nerve fibers?
And as Dr. Lang says, “deep brain stimulation will not prevent the disease from worsening, slow its progression or prevent the development of later problems like dementia”(2)
For many of us, time is running out. We need GDNF now. We need trials on humans to recommence now.
Jean Burns
Person with Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson Pipeline Project
(1) Nature Medicine, July 2005 [both links are offline]
(2) http://www.innovations-report.com/print/print_en01.php3?id=21917&ctyp=1
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