Gene therapy used to fight Alzheimer's

SAN DIEGO - Doctors have surgically implanted genetically engineered tissue into the brain of a patient with Alzheimer's disease, in a complicated 11-hour operation aimed at preventing cell death associated with the devastating illness.

The groundbreaking procedure was performed by doctors at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, launching the first phase of experimental gene therapy for the progressive brain disease that preys primarily on the elderly.

The surgery was performed on Friday at a UCSD hospital in San Diego on a 60-year-old woman in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. The patient is recovering well, and was discharged on Sunday.

The doctors are trying to prevent cell loss in Alzheimer's disease using gene therapy to deliver a natural brain-survival molecule called nerve growth factor (NGF) to the dying cells in the brain.

The surgical procedure was led by UCSD neurosurgeon Dr Hoi Sang U, who implanted the tissue in the patient's brain using specially designed surgical tools.

The programme, led by UCSD neurologist Dr Mark Tuszynski, represents the first attempt by doctors to use human gene therapy against a disease of the nervous system.

"We have four children and one grandchild. If there is a genetic trail associated with this disease, we are concerned about their future," said the patient's husband.

"Our main motivation is to see if we can contribute to patient care in the future by participating in this study. If there are benefits for my wife, that will be a plus."

Tuszynski said, "NGF gene therapy is not expected to cure Alzheimer's disease, but we hope that it might protect and even restore certain brain cells and alleviate some symptoms, such as short-term memory loss, for a period that could last a few years."

- REUTERS