Scientists have reversed Parkinson's symptoms in some animals. "For the first time we've been able to repair dopaminergic neurons, the specific cells that are damaged in Parkinson's disease," Susan Lindquist, one of the authors of a paper published in the journal Science. We'll talk with her about her work, and what it might mean for people with Parkinson's.

We'll also hear about new work looking at the use of stem cell therapies to reverse paralysis in mice. The therapy involves a magic brew of combines differentiated stem cells, myelin inhibitors, and something called a 'motor axon tropic factor.' We'll find out how the approach works.

Fianlly, a conversation with Ian Wilmut, one of the scientists who cloned Dolly the sheep. We'll talk about cloning since Dolly, and the prospects for human human cloning -- when is it right, and when is it wrong? Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Susan Lindquist
Member, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Professor of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Douglas Kerr
Associate Professor of Neurology, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Director, Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland
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Ian Wilmut
Co-Author, After Dolly: The Uses and Misuses of Human Cloning (WW Norton, 2006)
Professor of Reproductive Science
University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland

Books/Articles Discussed:

"After Dolly: The Uses and Misuses of Human Cloning," by Ian Wilmut and Roger Highfield. WW Norton, 2006.

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)

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This segment produced by Anne Marie Cunningham