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.

Gene therapy for Parkinson's "encouraging" in early trials

October 15, 2009, 1:52pm
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/224797...g-early-trials

PARIS, October 14, 2009 (AFP) - A gene therapy for Parkinson's disease that has been tested on lab monkeys is showing good early results in a small-scale trial on humans, French researchers said on Wednesday.

The therapy entails taking three genes that produce dopamine, a key neurochemical that is depleted in Parkinson's. The genes are then inserted into a disabled equine virus that is then injected into the brain.

Six human volunteers began clinical trials a year ago, and the results are "extremely encouraging," as measured in control of Parkinson's symptoms and in side effects such as brain inflammation, neurosurgeon Stephane Palfi told AFP.