Local resident to lead Summit 4 Stem Cell group on Himalayas hike to help fund Parkinson’s study

The Summit 4 Stem Cell group will conquer Mount Everest Base Camp to raise awareness and funds for a Parkinsons disease study. Courtesy photo

By Karen Billing

A group of dedicated local climbers will head to the Himalayas this fall in search of an end to Parkinsons disease.

As part of Summit 4 Stem Cell, 10 local residents will head to Nepal in early October to trek to the base camp of Mount Everest, an altitude of 17,598 feet, to raise awareness and funds for a unique Parkinsons disease study.

The study is being done locally in San Diego, using non-embryonic stem cells and turning them into dopamine-producing neurons. The loss of dopamine production in the brain is the driving cause behind Parkinsons disease.

This research is going to be so significant, said Sherrie Gould, a local nurse practitioner at Scripps Clinic Movement Disorders Center, who is leading the trek. We dont know what starts Parkinsons, but we do know that it is caused by a loss of a neurotransmitter called dopamine Its not a complete cure but if we can fill up the tank, refill the bucket with fresh new dopamine-producing cells we can essentially rid the patients of their symptoms.

Gould has already tackled another of the worlds largest peaks for Parkinsons leading 16 hikers to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro for Summit 4 Stem Cell in September of 2010.

The research is being led locally by Dr. Jeanne Loring, director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute, and Dr. Melissa Houser, neurologist and director of the Parkinsons Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Scripps Clinic.

As soon as Gould learned about their research and that the only thing stopping them from moving forward was money, she was determined to do something to help. She thought the big climbs would not only be a way to gain a lot of attention, but the idea of a climb also reflects what the Movement Disorders Center stresses with Parkinsons patients about exercise and self-empowerment.

All of the trekkers want to inspire those who face seemingly insurmountable odds to rise above them and escape the limitations we all set for ourselves, Gould said. Its time to not only meet this mountain but to move it.

See more here:
Local resident to lead Summit 4 Stem Cell group on Himalayas hike to help fund Parkinson’s study