Breakthrough in Medicine: Japanese Scientists Find Way to Treat Parkinson"s Disease

# Japan Achieves Breakthrough: World's First iPS Cell-Based Drug for Parkinson's Disease Approved **Japanese regulators have given the green light to a revolutionary drug created from induced pluripotent stem cells. This event may forever change the approach to treating previously incurable diseases.** As reported by **TUT.AZ** with reference to the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application at Kyoto University, the drug has received partial approval for use. Project leader Jun Takahashi called this decision a crucial milestone in the development of regenerative medicine. "We will make every effort to ensure that the new treatment method becomes standard and earns the trust of patients," the scientist stated. The essence of the innovative therapy lies in transplanting nerve cells grown from iPS cells into patients with Parkinson's disease. Clinical trials, the results of which were previously published by the university, showed an encouraging picture: some patients demonstrated improvement in their condition after the procedure. Pharmaceutical giant Sumitomo Pharma filed an application for registration of the drug under the trade name Amshepuri back in August. The review proceeded on an accelerated basis. Simultaneously, regulators approved another iPS cell-based product — for the treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy. Both drugs are unique developments with no analogues in world medicine.