The first attempt at gene therapy for Alzheimer's patients appeared to significantly delay worsening of the disease in a few people who have tested it so far, scientists reported Sunday. Far more research is needed to see if the experimental treatment, which requires a form of brain surgery, really helps.But if the approach pans out, researchers say delivering protective substances, called growth factors, into a diseased brain holds the potential to rescue some dying brain cells. In one patient, the brain tissue showed new growth, which was a first, according to a study published in Sunday's edition of the journal Nature Medicine. «It won't cure the disease,» said the lead researcher, Dr. Mark Tuszynski of the University of California, San Diego. That is because Alzheimer's destroys different types of cells in different areas of the brain; the new gene therapy targets just one of those. --More 2339 Local Time 2039 GMT
