Study summary

Transplanted dopamine cells were safe in the first eight people

STEM-PD · 8 people · Published in Nature Medicine

What was tested

Dopamine-producing nerve cells grown from stem cells and surgically placed in the brain, at Lund University in Sweden.

What they found

• No serious side effects were attributed to the cells.
• No transplant-related involuntary movements and no tumors were seen.
• A separate product, bemdaneprocel, is in a 102-person trial with sham surgery as the comparison.

What it means

Safety looks acceptable so far. Whether the cells improve movement is what the sham-controlled trial will show.