BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics reports that its pre-clinical trial was a success. The company withdrew stem cells from a brain of a rat in which Parkinson’s disease had been induced, sorted them into cells that produce a protein called GDNF, and implanted them back into the rat’s brain. The rat’s symptoms improved by 60% within three months.

Three months ago, the company first announced that it had sorted stem cells from bone marrow into GDNF-producing cells. The trial marks significant progress for the company.

GDNF encourages nerve cells to grow and send dendrites, which communicate with other nerve cells and body organs. BrainStorm Cell president and CEO Yaffa Beck says that many researchers have tried to turn GDNF into a drug, but it is hard to deliver the protein specifically to the brain, since it dissolves on the way. Implanting these cells in the brain facilitates delayed release of GDNF, which improves the activity of the cells that Parkinson’s disease destroys.

BrainStorm Cell plans to begin human trials in six months, before which it must pass a number of additional milestones in animal trials. At a later stage, the company’s treatment is also likely to prove useful for other diseases linked to nerve cell damage, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS - Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and spinal column injuries.