But some experts expressed concern that if complications occur, they may be difficult to treat, because there is no simple way to remove the genetically modified cells, called fibroblasts, or stop their action once they have been implanted in the brain. Growth factors are extremely powerful compounds, and they're not selective for a particular brain system. . . . We've got to be watching here. Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disorder that affects between 2 million and 4 million Americans. It gradually damages and destroys cells in many regions of the brain, initially causing loss of recent memory and eventually rendering its victims helpless and often unable to recognize loved ones.
Current treatments produce only modest and short-lived improvement at best.
Doctors said the patient, a former teacher from Oregon who has mild Alzheimer's and whose name was not released, gave her consent to the experimental procedure. In an 11-hour operation Thursday, neurosurgeon Hoi Sang U and his team injected half a million genetically modified cells into each of five sites on the right side of her brain. The surgical team used brain-imaging tests and special equipment to pinpoint the target of the treatment, an area at the base of the brain's frontal lobe called the nucleus basalis of Meynert. It contains nerve cells, called cholinergic cells, that use the chemical messenger acetylcholine to transmit messages to other brain areas involved in learning and memory. The woman was awake but sedated during the surgery, which was performed under local anesthesia so doctors could talk to her to monitor her responses, U said.