ICBI UPDATE: A New Experimental Brain Stimulation Treatment Shows Promise in Restoring the Movement of Patients with Chronic Parkinson’s disease (PD)

Canadian researchers are developing a new brain stimulation treatment to restore movement in Parkinson’s patients according to which previously housebound patients are now able to walk more freely as a result of electrical stimulation to their spines. A quarter of PD patients have difficulty walking as the disease wears on, often freezing on the spot and falling. Normal walking involves the brain sending instructions to the legs to move. It then receives signals back when the movement has been completed before sending instructions for the next step. Parkinson’s disease reduces the signals coming back to the brain - breaking the loop and causing the patient to freeze. The parts of the brain involved with movement are not working properly, but three months into the trial those areas are now functioning.

Prof. Mandar Jog, of Western University and associate scientific director, Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ontario, and his team developed the brain implant that boosts that signal, enabling the patient to walk normally. Prof. Jog told the BBC News the scale of benefit to patients of his new treatment was “beyond his wildest dreams”. He believes the electrical stimulus reawakens the feedback mechanism from legs to brain that is damaged by the disease.

           “This is a completely different rehabilitation therapy,” Jog said. “We had thought that the movement problems occurred in Parkinson’s patients because signals from the brain to the legs were not getting through.”

           Dr. Beckie Port, research manager at Parkinson’s UK, said: “The results seen in this small-scale pilot study are very promising and the therapy certainly warrants further investigation. Should future studies show the same level of promise, it has the potential to dramatically improve quality of life, giving people with Parkinson’s the freedom to enjoy everyday activities.”

         “This study is very preliminary and the patients must consult their physicians before flying to Ontario, Canada for this new brain implant, “says Dr. Ram Bhatt of ICB International, Inc., (“ICBII”). He continued to say that “the implant cost, side effects, patients’ eligibility, and duration the treatment lasts are some of the unknowns of this new procedure. As exciting as this news seems to be, the implant will not cure the disease, says Ram Bhatt “but the restoration of movement, regardless of the length of time, would be of great benefit to Parkinson’s patients.”

            Contrary to developing solutions that may be short-lived, ICBII is developing long-term solutions to halt and reverse Parkinson’s. The Company has developed a drug that has shown tremendous potential in Parkinson’s animals to stop the disease progression. Now the Company is diligently working to test its drug in Parkinson’s patients.

Using prior licensing deals as benchmarks, ICBII had quoted the licensing fees for its MSA and Parkinson’s drugs to a European pharma. The European company is now conducting its own market analysis to assess the value of ICBII’s drugs for MSA and Parkinson’s diseases. We are
hoping the European company will conclude its own market analysis and arrive at fair licensing fees by mid-May, 2019. 

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP get their drugs to market faster? The joy of being a part of this historical event can be had by helping ICBI find the funds to bring these trials to fruition through your investing, and by finding others with the financial ability and humanitarian mindset to accomplish
the—until now—impossible. Please contact Jo Rosen at 760-773-5628 or jorosen@Parkinsonsresource.org or by contacting ICBI directly through their website ICBII.com/ or by phone at 858-455-9880. IMAGINE the world without Parkinson’s, MSA or Alzheimer’s disease. JUST IMAGINE.