U.K.: This Could Be The Best Chance To Cure Parkinson's Disease

Sara Newman reports on the best chance yet to beat Parkinson’s disease LONDON (The Independent, London - The Statesman, Kolkata), June 14, 2007: DRUGS that could slow or even halt the development of Parkinson’s disease could lead to the biggest breakthrough in treatment of the condition for 30 years, scientists say. If tests conducted on laboratory mice by a team of researchers in the USA have the same effect on humans, the drugs could provide sufferers the best chance yet at living a normal life. An estimated 120,000 people in the UK have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a debilitating illness that causes its sufferers to ultimately lose the ability to walk and talk. Occurring chiefly in people aged 60 and over, the disease is triggered when dopamine neurons in the brain start to die, causing movement to become more difficult and uncoordinated. Although treatments are currently available to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s, they become less effective over time and nothing can prevent the disease from progressing. But the new research holds out the prospect not only of slowing Parkinson’s but of stopping the symptoms ever appearing, according to scientists at Northwestern University in Chicago. Study leader Professor James Surmeier, who has been researching Parkinson’s disease for 20 years, says he hopes hoped the drug could be used as a prevention as well as a cure. “Our hope is that if you began taking it (the drug) early enough, you won’t get Parkinson’s disease, even if you were at risk. It would be like taking a baby aspirin everyday to protect your heart.” The team’s key discovery was that drugs already used to treat high blood pressure, angina and stroke had the power to rejuvenate ageing dopamine neurons. Professor Surmeier, whose findings have been published in the online version of the journal Nature, discovered that young and old dopamine neurons operate in different ways. While young cells use sodium ions — charged atoms — to generate electrical signals, they switch to calcium ions with advancing age. When tested, mice engineered to have a progressive Parkinson’s-like disease resisted becoming ill after being treated with the drug Isradipine, a “calcium blocker” usually given to people with high blood pressure. After a short “silent” interval, the cells reverted to using sodium ions and became calmer. The scientists are now planning to launch a clinical patient trial. Dr Kieran Breen, director of research and development at the Parkinson’s Disease Society, has welcomed the findings but notes the results were determined from a very early stage pre-clinical trial using only a model of Parkinson’s and that hailing Isradipine as appropriate treatment for Parkinson’s might be premature. He adds, “We can also not predict whether this drug will be used as a preventative or protective measure in the future. A significant amount of further research will be required before any definite conclusions can be drawn.” The Independent, London