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.

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

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.