Successful survival of grafted transgenic neural plate cells in adult central nervous system environment

1. Accumulating evidence indicates that damaged brain functions can be amel iorated in a variety of animal models by the grafting of fetal neuronal cel l or tissue into damaged brain. Clinical trials are under way to determine whether human fetal mesencephalic tissue can ameliorate motor functions in patients with Parkinson's disease. 2. Autopsy findings of parkinsonian patient implanted with human fetal mese ncephalic tissue clearly revealed that the fetal neuronal graft can survive for an extended period of time in the human brain and densely reinnervate the surrounding host striatal tissue. 3. It is, however, still important to obtain more practical, effective, and ethically justifiable donor material for the future clinical application o f the procedures. Desirable properties for the donor cells include long-ter m survival in the brain, neuronal cell type for the reconstruction of damag ed neural circuits, and susceptibility to genetic manipulation for the prac tical use. 4. With the development of molecular biology techniques, genetic modificati on and transplantation of the donor neuronal cells might be a feasible way to cure many kinds of central nervous system diseases toward a "graft-gene therapy.".