Parkinson's Disease Fact Sheet

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Parkinson's Disease

Dopamine-producing neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells (Xianmin Zeng
at the Buck Institute for Age Research)

CIRM has a strong focus on Parkinson's Disease research, funding basic projects coaxing stem cells to mature into the neurons affected by Parkinson's disease as well as projects turning those basic discoveries into future therapies.

If you want to learn more about CIRM funding decisions or make a comment directly to our board, join us at a public meeting. You can find agendas for upcoming public meetings on our meetings page.

Learn more about stem cell research:
Stem Cell Basics Primer | Stem Cell Videos | What We Fund

Find clinical trials:
CIRM does not track stem cell clinical trials. If you or a family member is interested in participating in a clinical trial, please see the national trial database to find a trial near you: clinicaltrials.gov

The role of stem cells in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is one of CIRM's largest and most comprehensive programs. It is one of the diseases that has long been considered an excellent target for stem cell research. It occurs when the neurons in the portion of the brain that controls movement stop functioning properly. These neurons send signals using a compound called dopamine, and are referred to as dopaminergic neurons.

In early 2011, CIRM-funded scientists at Stanford University created a model for Parkinson's disease in a lab dish using stem cells generated from the skin cells of a person with a genetic form of Parkinson's disease. Until that work, scientists could only study Parkinson's disease in animals, which don't perfectly mimic the disease. The dopaminergic neurons derived from the person with Parkinson's disease had characteristics commonly seen in disease, indicating that they are a good model for studying how the disease progresses. These models will allow scientists for the first time to test drug candidates that might be used to halt the disease.

In addition to the Stanford team, a CIRM-funded team at The Parkinson’s Institute in Sunnyvale, CA, is using stem cells to create further disease models of Parkinson's disease. Those scientist collaborated with Stanford on their disease model. The goal is to develop dopaminertic cells from the skin of several people with Parkinson's disease as a way of studying how the disease damages the cells and to test new drugs to see if they can preven the damage from ocurring.

Researchers at other institutions such as the Salk Institute, the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, UCSF, UC Berkeley and the Buck Institute for Age Research are all receiving funding from CIRM to study ways in which stem cells can assist in the understanding and cure of Parkinson’s.

CIRM-funded teams are looking at other neurodegenerative diseases that are producing results that could have major implications for Parkinson’s disease. A group at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla and the University of California, San Diego proposes replacing the support cells surrounding the neurons damaged in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also called Lou Gehrig’s disease). Similarly a stroke team led by Stanford University researchers is anticipating that inserted stem cells would protect cells that survived the stroke rather than replacing those that were lost. Although this work isn't directly in Parkinson's disease, it could lead to insights on how to support and protect the remaining dopaminergic neurons in people with the disease.

Progress and Promise in Developing a Cure for Parkinson's Disease

CIRM Grants Targeting Parkinson's Disease

CIRM Parkinson's Disease Videos

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