GDNF is being studied as a target to fight obesity. Interesting as it also has been shown to be beneficial for parkinson's patients. Maybe PD patients will be able to be given access to GDNF quicker if this research continues.

http://www.examiner.com/article/what...-high-fat-diet

Thanks for the link. I'm curious about your broad statement that GDNF has been shown to be beneficial to PD patients. Can you please post some links for that research. I'm familiar with some anecdotal reports of success, as well as one small open label trial, however, it was my understanding that most of the GDNF trials have failed to show any efficacy.

I personally believe it will be found to be very beneficial and life changing if it can be delivered to the brain.

I would think that most of us on this board would hope that your beliefs come true one day. However, as Billy Joel so eloquently stated "You may be wrong but you may be right". The fact is, we just don't know at this time. Beliefs and animal studies aside, there just isn't any human trial evidence, to date, to show that GDNF is beneficial to PD patients. Maybe one day........

Have you read Monkeys in the Middle?

Here's a great paper on GDNF for PD treatment which discusses the history of GDNF administration to treat PD and discusses ways to increase GDNF with diet, exercise, caloric restriction etc. This is a great GDNF PD primer. "GDNF and PD: Less Common Points of View"

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...67720277,d.aWw

It is interesting to note that Vit D3 boosts GDNF.

http://www.life-enhancement.com/maga...rotoxic-agents

Treatment of C6 cells with D3 for 48 h elicited an 18.5-fold increase in the level of GDNF!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8930983

Sounds Like the patients who were in the GDNF trial wanted to continue but were not allowed to for some reason. Quite odd.

http://www.pdpipeline.org/2011/GDNF/...ontroversy.htm

http://www.pdpipeline.org/2011/GDNF/...rticipants.htm

Nick Nelson's great report on Amgen and GDNF. Yes, I've read it.

Thanks, I hadn't seen this paper. If you read it, you'll see that it supports everything I've said. The clinical trials to date have been at best inconclusive, and generally very disappointing. The suggestions of benefit the authors provide are all from naturally occurring GDNF (e.g. through increased exercise) or are animal, in-vitro, or epidemiological. There still is no conclusive evidence that administering GDNF into the brain, or body, will benefit PD patients.

Look, I'm not arguing against opening up GDNF, along with many other neurotrophic factors, to more research. There is no one around who wants to see that more than me. There is no one who hopes they will succeed in being neuroprotective more than me. In fact, I'm probably one of the few people on this board who is actually currently involved in a neurotrophic clinical study. And, if others open up, and I'm eligible to participate, I will.

What I am arguing against is taking theories, hypotheses and anecdotal reports and stating them as facts. Why don't we all fight for opening up more research on neurotrophic growth factors and then volunteer to participate in the research so we can move the science forward and find some answers, and maybe a cure, along the way.