By Margherita Bassi Published February 1, 2025 | Comments (0) | An artist's rendering of the future brain implant. University of Cambridge While there is no cure for Parkinsons disease, an upcoming experiment offers hope to the more than 10 million people living with the disorder that a breakthrough may be on the horizon. A team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of Cambridge, are planning to develop a new kind of brain implant from small clusters of brain cells to treat Parkinsons disease. This approach, as detailed in a university statement from January 23, aims to repair neural pathways damaged by the aggressive disease and will first be tested on animals. Our ultimate goal is to create precise brain therapies that can restore normal brain function in people with Parkinsons, George Malliaras from the University of Cambridge, who will co-lead the project along with fellow Cambridge researcher Roger Barker, said in the statement. Parkinsons disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by the breakdown and death of neurons in the brain, particularly those that produce dopamine. Reduced dopamine levels disrupt normal brain activity, affecting motor control and causing movement problems. Scientists dont know what triggers the disease, and there is currently no cure. While dopamine-based medications are effective early in treatment, they often lead to significant and unpleasant side effects over time. Scientists have been searching for a cure for Parkinsons disease for well over a century. Researchers are exploring cell-replacement therapy as a potential treatment, which replaces the dead dopamine cells with new ones. These current approaches, however, have failed to fully integrate transplanted cells with the brains nervous system.Malliaras and Barkers team hopes to address this problem by developing transplants made from midbrain organoidssmall clusters of brain cells. Similar to cell-replacement therapy, researchers plan to transplant these midbrain organoids into the brain. Then, theyll use advanced materials and electrical stimulation to support the transplanted cells connection to the nervous system and the restoration of lost neural pathways. To date, theres been little serious investment into methodologies that interface precisely with the human brain, beyond brute force approaches or highly invasive implants, said Jacques Carolan, program director of the Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA). ARIA is the British research and development agency funding the Parkinsons implant project. Were showing that its possible to develop elegant means of understanding, identifying, and treating many of the most complex and devastating brain disorders. Ultimately, this could deliver transformative impact for people with lived experiences of brain disorders.It remains to be seen how the team will develop the implant once the project has officially started. Hopefully, within a few yearsor maybe even monthswell be reporting on the success of the first animal trials.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like Paul Brandt-Rauf, The Conversation Published January 30, 2025 By Margherita Bassi Published January 21, 2025 By Ed Cara Published November 14, 2024 By Ed Cara Published October 2, 2024 By Daniel Kolitz Published August 29, 2024 By Ed Cara Published July 31, 2024