Mayor's pigs help people with Parkinson's Disease

BARRY HARCOURT/FAIRFAX NZ

Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt surrounded by Auckland Island pigs.

BLAKE FODEN

Last updated 13:08, June 19 2015

A herd of pigs Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt helped save as part of a "nature project" in 1999 aren't flying yet, but they may be the answer to treating people with Parkinson's Disease.

Cells from Auckland Island pigs are being used in innovative new trials, which involve capsules of pig cells being implanted into the brains of people with well-established Parkinson's.

Four New Zealanders who took part in the first trial at Auckland City Hospital have reported positive results, biotechnology company Living Cell Technologies announced this week.

In 1999 the Department of Conservation wanted to cull the remaining Auckland Island pigs, whose cells are also being used in trials aimed at finding a cure for type-1 diabetes, but Living Cell Technologies stepped in, bringing 17 to Invercargill with Shadbolt's support.

The Ministry of Health banned pig cell transplants shortly after amid fears the animals could pass on a virus to humans, but trials involving the Auckland Island pigs, which are disease-free, were approved in 2008.

Shadbolt, who said he "was copping it from all over the place" when he used money from the mayor's contingency fund to pay for pig feed and keep the animals in Southland, said the investment was one of the best the city had ever made.

He admitted he had no idea of the pigs' medical value when he decided to help fund their survival - a decision that temporarily cost him the contingency fund - but it was "certainly very pleasing", he said.

"To be honest it started out as a bit of a nature project," he said.

"It's also created eight full-time jobs at the piggery, which is an incredibly well-run facility," he said.

"They play classical music and they've developed a line of pig toys to keep them entertained - it's like the Ritz of piggeries."

Parkinson's New Zealand acting chief executive and clinical leader Stephanie Clare said the organisation had kept a close eye on the groundbreaking trials.

"We are excited about the hope these results will bring to the 10,000 Kiwis living with Parkinson's," Clare said.

Living Cell Technologies communications manager Rachael Joel said LCT was already planning its next pig cell trials, which would involve up to 20 patients.

The treatments involved up to 10,000 capsules being taken from the Auckland Island pigs and inserted into up to 48 capsules, which were then implanted into the patient's brain.

The four patients who took part in the initial trial - all of whom were from the upper North Island - had experienced problems with traditional therapy.

The new treatment aims to stop or slow the loss of dopamine - the neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure centres.

When dopamine levels fall, movements become slow and awkward.

There is no known cure for Parkinson's Disease.

http://health.einnews.com/article/271640921/pi2ZloyfPaGml-Mt