Stem cell use studied for Parkinson's

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Researchers at Edinburgh University in Scotland are working on ways to use embryonic stem cells in treatments for Parkinson's Disease.

Tilo Kunath of the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine said the researcher team is trying to use stem cells to replace cells lost in Parkinson's patients, The Scotsman newspaper reported Monday.

"We want to be able to produce the dopamine-producing neural cells, which are lost in Parkinson's sufferers," Kunath told the newspaper. "The end goal is to create cells that are suitable for transplant into patients."

Kunath, however, said a treatment could be at least 20 years away, The Scotsman said.