Korean Discovery Promises Cure for Lou-Gehrig's Disease

A new chapter of medication for incurable brain disease such as Lou Gehrig's disease and Alzheimer's disease may have opened, Korean scientists said Sunday. Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), makes it progressively impossible for sufferers to move their muscles.
A research team led by Prof. Chung Sung-kee from the Department of Chemistry at Pohang University of Science and Technology announced it discovered a way to deliver the sugar substance sorbitol effectively into mitochondria in the brain cells of mice, which could help cure the disease. It published the result at the latest issue of the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Lou Gehrig's disease and Alzheimer's develop when mitochondria in cells get sick. However, mitochondria have a protection shield that prevents drug injection. “Sorbitol has a similar structure to a substance that enables the AIDS virus to penetrate the cell walls,” Prof. Chung said. “If we put drugs on sorbitol, it can deliver the drug to sick mitochondria and eventually cure brain diseases.”

Chung added another virtue of sorbitol is that it is light so doctors can easily combine it with drugs.

Chung served as president of POSTECH between July in 1998 and July in 2002 and has led the research team since finishing his term.

(englishnews@chosun.com )


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