Implants containing nerve growth factor data

CTII (Providence, R.I.) published research showing six-month survival of cells engineered to secrete NGF, when implanted into the brains of rats. The implants were able to save cholinergic neurons from the lethal effects of brain damage, implying potential use of the technique in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, the company concluded in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The implants consisted of hollow fibers of polyacrylonitrile vinyl chloride, 700 micrometers wide, containing engineered BHK cells. NGF was produced by the human gene under control of the rat insulin intron, driven by the metallothionein I promoter. ...