New biotech allows ‘seeds’ planted in the brain to differentiate into new nerve cells, reshaping its neural network

Chinese medical experts have created an ultra-efficient stem cell approach to Parkinson’s disease, raising prospects for treatment for a condition for which there is no known cure.

Parkinson’s disease is often referred to as a “movement disorder”. Its symptoms are caused by the brain failing to generate enough dopamine, due to the death or impairment of the neurons responsible for producing the chemical.

While researchers around the world are exploring stem cell therapies to replenish lost dopaminergic neurons, the team of neurology specialist Shi Jiong at the First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei is leading the way.