Medical discovery: a cure for Parkinson's

Parkinson’s disease is a disorder that affects nerve cells, or neurons, in a part of the brain that controls muscle movements. In Parkinson’s disease, neurons that produce a chemical called dopamine die or do not work properly. Normally, dopamine sends signals that help coordinate your movements. Nobody knows the origin of the damage to these cells. However, many tests are being done to find a cure for Parkinson’s. Symptoms Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may include: Tremor in the hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face Stiffness in the arms, legs, and trunk Slowness of movement Balance and coordination problems A potential cure Vienna-based Austrian company AFFiRiS AG announced this week that it has begun clinical trials for the first time of a vaccine to treat Parkinson’s disease The study of up to 32 patients was designed to test the safety and tolerability of the vaccine, called PD01A . Parkinson’s is believed to result from the deposition of pathological forms of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain, causing cell death. Particularly in the region known as the substantia nigra. The buildup of alpha-synuclein disrupts the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain, preventing movement and causing tremors. The disease is ultimately fatal. Reducing protein concentrations is believed to have a beneficial effect on disease progression. PD01A is designed to stimulate the production of antibodies against alpha-synuclein without affecting to closely related proteins. It is estimated that 4 million people in the Western world suffer from Parkinson’s. Unfortunately that number is expected to increase to 9 million by 2030. Current treatments involve stimulating dopamine production or increasing cellular sensitivity to brain dopamine, but neither of them target the disease process itself. The clinical trial is funded in part by a $1.5 million grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Let’s hope this trial or any other trial finally finds a cure for Parkinson’s.