Announcing the world's first clinical trial to evaluate the safety and impact of VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) gene transfer to treat diabetic neuropathy. According to the Neuropathy Association, 20 million Americans suffer from various forms of neuropathy, and diabetes is the most common cause of this serious condition.
The trial is being led by Allan Ropper, MD, chief of Neurology for Caritas
St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston, MA. Dr. Ropper is a world-renowned
expert in neurology. He has co-authored the most widely sold neurology textbook
in the world, leads one of the world's most respected Alzheimer/Parkinson's
disease research institutes, and chairs the neurology department for Tufts New
England Medical Center, where he's responsible for
the curriculum of five Boston-area teaching hospitals. Dr. Ropper has treated
patients from as far away as Bali, New Delhi, the Netherlands, and England,
and celebrities such as Michael J. Fox and Ozzy Osbourne.
Dr. Ropper is currently recruiting volunteers for this trial. Volunteers who
are interested can call 1-888-311-4363 for more information on the trial and
the enrollment procedures. They should tell the operator they would like details
on the gene transfer research to treat diabetic neuropathy.