Well, lo and behold: Just as a study was released showing that neural stem cells may be efficacious in treating Parkinson’s, another report shows that a drug used for high blood pressure may also provide relief. From the Scientific American story:
A team at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago reports that isradipine (brand name DynaCirc), a drug currently prescribed to reduce high blood pressure, may block the death of neurons in patients with advanced cases of Parkinson’s and may also be able to prevent the development of the disease.
The story also describes the stem cell study I blogged earlier.
Stories such as this one are important to highlight. Too often, it seems as if most biotechnology involves controversial and morally contentious issues such as cloning and ESCR, when in actuality, the great majority of research is either uncontroversial—such as using blood pressure medicine to relieve Parkinson’s symptoms—or not controversial in a way that materially impacts human dignity and intrinsic worth, as in bio-engineered foods. Biotechnology offers us a great chance to alleviate human suffering and promote human thriving. But we only will have one chance to reap the bounteous harvest without compromising important moral imperatives.
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