Encouraging news on the gene therapy front: researchers have reported that gene therapy improved the symptoms of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. This is the first solid evidence that gene therapy can work in the brain. Professor David Eidelberg, of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York, reports in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that injecting genetically altered viruses into the subthalamic nucleus brought about a substantial improvement in mobility. The experiment could be a model for treating other brain diseases, especially epilepsy. However, the study was small – only 12 patients – and there are lingering doubts that improvement could be anecdotal or due to the placebo effect. ~ London Telegraph, Nov 19