Thread: Introducing three genes corrects motor defects in monkeys
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Old 10-16-2009, 11:26 AM
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Default Introducing three genes corrects motor defects in monkeys
Gene therapy could remedy Parkinson's

Introducing three genes corrects motor defects in monkeys.

Elie Dolgin
Published online 14 October 2009 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2009.1001
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/0910...2009.1001.html

A potential gene therapy for Parkinson's disease can correct motor deficits in monkeys without causing the jerky, involuntary movements that often accompany long-term treatments for the disease. The approach is undergoing preliminary testing in a handful of human patients, who have all shown promising signs of improvement.

At present, the most common remedy for Parkinson's disease involves replacing dopamine — the neurotransmitter that is depleted in patients with the disease — by administering the dopamine precursor levodopa, or L-DOPA. Most patients initially regain near-normal motor control, but after several years on L-DOPA the majority become saddled with debilitating physical and psychological side effects.
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