Why Scientists Believe Theyve Made New Breakthrough In Parkinsons Disease Treatment By Building On Gdnf Research
The Finnish researchers are now working to improve the properties of BT13 to make it more effective as a potential treatment that could benefit many people living with the disease.
The study, which was published online yesterday in the journal Movement Disorders, builds on previous research on another molecule that targets the same receptors in the brain.
GDNF or glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor is an experimental treatment for Parkinsons discovered in 1993 that has been shown to bring dying brain cells back to life and particularly effective in dopamine neurons.
It was the subject of a BBC documentary in February 2019 that followed a phase two trial in Bristol involving 42 patients. While the results werent clear cut, GDNF has shown promise to restore damaged cells in people with Parkinsons.
However, the GDNF protein requires complex robot-assisted surgery to deliver the treatment to the brain because its a large molecule that cant cross the blood-brain barrier a protective wall that prevents some drugs from getting into the brain.
BT13 is a smaller molecule that is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and therefore could be more easily administered as a treatment if shown to be beneficial in further clinical trials.
Dr Yulia Sidorova, lead researcher on the study, said: We are constantly working on improving the effectiveness of BT13.
Our ultimate goal is to progress these compounds to clinical trials in a few coming years.
Related Article
Seeking Fda Approval For Cats And Humans
While none of these studies guarantee that a drug will be approved for veterinary use, we can hope that, with the preponderance of evidence for the efficacy and safety of GS-441524 and remdesivir in cats, one or both drugs can become licensed and FDA-approved for use in cats.
Even full approval for use in humans would open doors to legal extra-label use in veterinary medicine. The more we learn about these disease models in cats and humans, the better we can refine the treatment and enhance the response rates in both species.
While this story started with treatment needs in animals taking a back seat to treatment needs in humans, the next chapter can include cats, cat owners, and veterinarians finally getting access to lifesaving options for FIP, and better treatments for severe disease in both species.
Common Scale Of Motor Symptom Severity May Have Flaws: Study
A commonly used measure of how motor symptoms are affecting daily life could also for people in early stages of Parkinsons disease be taking into account the contribution of their non-motor symptoms, a study suggests. This is a likely reason for the discrepancies seen in evaluations made by patients
Also Check: Does Parkinson’s Affect Speech
What Is Parkinsons Disease
Parkinsons disease is a progressive brain disorder that causes shaking and muscle stiffness, and slows movement. It develops when neurons in a particular part of the brain stop working properly and are lost over time. These neurons produce an important chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is used by the brain to send messages across brain areas to help control movement. Eventually, the brain cannot make enough dopamine to control the movement properly.1,2
Dont Miss: Parkinsons Disease Dementia Prognosis
Cantabio Pharmaceuticals Awarded Grant From The Michael J Fox Foundation To Develop Novel Small
Grant enables the further development of Cantabios novel small-molecule tau protein aggregation inhibitors, which have high therapeutic potential in both disease-modifying and preventive contexts for the treatment of Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease.
PALO ALTO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 5, 2022 / Cantabio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , a preclinical stage pharmaceutical company developing disease-modifying therapeutics for Alzheimers disease , Parkinsons disease and Type II diabetes, today announced that The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research has awarded the Company a major grant for a project entitled Development of small-molecule inhibitors to reduce the aggregation of tau for the treatment of Parkinsons disease. This grant supports the Companys ongoing tau protein-targeting small-molecule pharmacological chaperone therapeutic program aiming to prevent and reduce the aggregation of tau protein as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of AD, PD and tauopathies in general.
The MJFF-funded project aims to develop a novel small-molecule tau aggregation inhibitor with validated activity in PD-relevant tau aggregation in vitro, cell and in vivo models that has high therapeutic potential in both disease-modifying and preventive contexts for the treatment of PD and AD.
About the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research
About Cantabio Pharmaceuticals
Also Check: What Can You Do To Prevent Parkinsons Disease
You May Like: Late Stage Parkinson’s Treatment
New Treatment Provides Freedom For Patient
Two advocates of Duopa are Parkinsons patient George Connors and his wife, Kay, of Randleman, North Carolina.
Among the first participants in the clinical trial at Wake Forest Baptist, he has been taking Duopa for more than 5 years now.
Its been a lifesaver, his wife said. It has made it easier for him to get up and do things.
Kay said the unreliable action of levodopa pills made it difficult for her husband to pursue activities he loved. But with Duopa, she said, he goes fishing, mows the yard and does outside work, all without having to remember when to take the pills.
George gave one example of how Duopa works better for him than pills. He said it used to take him as much as an hour each morning to stand up properly because his toes would cramp overnight and the levodopa pills were slow to work. With the Duopa pump system, he said, his toe cramps are gone within minutes.
Siddiqui said that new drugs and new delivery methods for existing drugs can relieve many of the symptoms experienced by people with Parkinsons and that ongoing research holds hope for the future.
Out of all the neurological diseases, we are finding Parkinsons to have more and more treatments available, he said.
New Hope For Parkinsons Disease
Mohammad Selim Shahi | Published: 00:00, May 22,2021
OUR ignorance and limit of understanding often lead to a situation when we fail to recognise a problem, let alone fight it. It is also true in the case of a disease. If you want to fight a disease, then you must know what it is, what the early symptoms are, how it can be prevented, and all other information you need to know about a particular malady. And this is where there remains the scope for confusion, mistreatment and mistrust. In Bangladesh, the state of Parkinsons disease is almost the same. Most of the people, even the kith and kin of the geriatrics, dont even know the name of this disease, whereas it is of utmost importance that we must have all the nuts and bolts related to Parkinsons disease at our disposal if we really want to save ourselves and our elderly family members from the clutch of this illness.
In a review by de Lau and Breteler in 2006, it was reported that an estimated 10 million people in the world and 1 per cent of those above 60 years are found to be affected with Parkinsons disease, making it the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease, after Alzheimers disease.
Dr Mohammad Selim Shahi is a medicine and neuromedicine specialist and associate professor of neurology at the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital, Dhaka.
More about:
Don’t Miss: Young Onset Parkinson’s Life Expectancy
A New Era For Parkinsons Disease Treatment
March 2, 2022 | By
A non-invasive ultrasound treatment for Parkinsons disease that was tested in a pivotal trial led by University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers is now broadly available at the University of Maryland Medical Center .
Howard Eisenberg, MD, Dheeraj Gandhi, MD, MBBS, Paul Fishman, MD, PhD, Bert W. OMalley, MD.
The device, called Exablate Neuro, was approved in November by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat advanced Parkinsons disease on one side of the brain. The approval was based on findings from the UMSOM clinical trial and effectively expands access to focused ultrasound beyond clinical trial participation.
Rapid Reversal of Symptoms
Focused ultrasound is an incisionless procedure, performed without the need for anesthesia or an in-patient stay in the hospital. Patients, who are fully alert, lie in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner, wearing a transducer helmet. Ultrasonic energy is targeted through the skull to the globus pallidus, a structure deep in the brain that helps control regular voluntary movement. MRI images provide doctors with a real-time temperature map of the area being treated. During the procedure, the patient is awake and providing feedback, which allows doctors to monitor the immediate effects of the tissue ablation and make adjustments as needed.
Patient: Focused Ultrasound Changed My Life
A New Era for Parkinsons Disease Treatment
Current Parkinsons Treatments Cant Slow Down Onset Of Disease
Parkinsons is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, which mainly the area of the brain that controls movement leading to a slow onset of symptoms including tremors, rigidity and slow movement.
More than 10 million people worldwide are estimated to be living with Parkinsons disease, according to the US-based Parkinsons Foundation, with the Parkinsons News Today website saying it affects 1,900 per 100,000 among those aged over 80,
Typically, by the time people are diagnosed with the condition, they have already lost between 70% and 80% of their dopamine-producing cells, which are involved in co-ordinating movement.
While current treatments mask the symptoms, there is nothing that can slow down its progression or prevent more brain cells from being lost.
As dopamine levels continue to fall, symptoms get worse and new symptoms can appear.
Recommended Reading: What Are Some Treatments For Parkinson’s Disease
New Hope For Treatment Of Parkinsons Disease: Designer Neurons
The new research describes the implantation of induced pluripotent stem cells to replace dopamine-producing neurons destroyed by Parkinsons disease. Such cells not only survive the grafting procedure and manufacture dopamine, but send out their branching fibers through the neural tissue to make distant connections in the brain, just like their naturally-occurring counterparts. Credit: Shireen Dooling for the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
Neurodegenerative diseases cause neuronal damage and destruction, wreaking havoc on both mental and physical health. Parkinsons disease, which affects over 10 million people worldwide, is no exception. The most noticeable symptoms of Parkinsons disease arise after the illness damages a specific class of neuron located in the midbrain. The result is that dopamine, a key neurotransmitter produced by the affected neurons, is depleted in the brain.
In new research, Jeffrey Kordower and his colleagues describe a method for converting non-neuronal cells into functioning neurons able to take up residence in the brain, send out their fibrous branches across neural tissue, form synapses, dispense dopamine and restore capacities compromised by Parkinsons destruction of dopaminergic cells.
The work is supported through a grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
New perspectives on Parkinsons disease
Neural alchemy
What Type Of Exercise Should I Do If I Have Parkinson’s Disease
Exercise is a planned, structured, repetitive activity that is intended to improve physical fitness. There is no right exercise for people with Parkinsons. Everyones regimen will differ, depending on overall health, symptoms and previous level of activity. Any exercise helps, and a variety of exercise types may provide well-rounded benefits.
Aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise involves activities that challenge your cardiorespiratory system such as walking, biking, running, and activities in the pool. Participating in aerobic exercise at least three days a week for 30-40 minutes may slow Parkinsons decline.
Strength training
Strength training involves using your body weight or other tools to build muscle mass and strength. Strength training two days per week, starting with low repetition and weight, may be beneficial in Parkinsons disease. A focus on extensor muscles, or muscles in the back of the body, can help with posture.
Flexibility training
Stretching two or more days per week can be beneficial to maintain range of motion and posture. Holding each stretch of major muscle groups for 30 to 60 seconds can improve muscle length.
Balance and agility training
This type of training often combines aerobic exercise, strength training, and flexibility training. Examples include:
- Tai chi, yoga or Pilates.
Don’t Miss: Insomnia And Parkinson’s Disease
What Kind Of Exercise Can I Do If I Have Trouble Standing Or Walking
Even with advanced Parkinsons symptoms, you can still reap the benefits of some activities. If you have trouble walking or balancing, hold a bar or rail to exercise and stretch. If standing or getting up is tough, exercise and stretch in a chair or bed. Physical exercise performed in a seated position, such as biking on a recumbent bike can allow you to exert yourself in a safe manner.
Facial exercises may help combat difficulties speaking or swallowing:
- Chew your food longer and more vigorously.
- Exaggerate your face and lip movements when you speak.
- Make faces in the mirror.
- Sing or read out loud.
Mental exercises give your brain a workout and can improve memory. For example:
- Name as many animals as you can in 1 minute.
- Play brain games and do puzzles.
- Solve math problems in your head.
You can also add activity in small bits throughout your day:
- Park further away from stores so you walk longer distances.
- Stretch or do leg exercises while watching TV.
- Swing your arms more when you walk, and take long strides.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Should I Talk To My Healthcare Provider Before I Start Exercising If I Have Parksinson’s Disease
Talk to your neurologist and your primary care provider before starting a new exercise regimen. They can:
- Counsel you on how intense your exercises can be.
- Recommend exercises appropriate for your individual health.
- Refer you to a physical therapist to create a personal exercise program.
- Warn about exercises to avoid based on your particular challenges or limitations.
You May Like: Indications For Dbs In Parkinson’s
Fip Research: New Hope For Cats
Editors note:This is a new monthly column for NEWStat about One Health and the human-animal bond. .
As veterinary professionals in 2022, few of us would have imagined that we would be diagnosing a fatal disease in young cats and telling our clients we know of a treatment but that we cant administer, sell, or prescribe itthen suggesting they visit a Facebook page to purchase unmarked vials of a drug from China for thousands of dollars. But that is precisely the scenario in which we find ourselves in the diagnosis and treatment of feline infectious peritonitis in the United States.
How did we get to a point where our only option is to suggest that our clients meet up with strangers from the internet with no veterinary training in parking lots to buy an unapproved medication to inject into their dying cats?
Aiming For Timely Diagnosis
As with many chronic conditions, earlier recognition of Parkinsons disease can help people experience an enhanced quality of life.
2016 statistics reflect that around 6.1 million people worldwide had Parkinsons, more than double than in 1990. However, this increase doesnt necessarily mean that Parkinsons disease is more common now.
The rise could be the result of increasing awareness of the disease, causing more people to contact a doctor about potential symptoms. The global population is , meaning more adults are in the at-risk age category for Parkinsons disease.
A of research findings suggests a timely diagnosis of Parkinsons disease can provide the following benefits, among others:
- support your right to know about the disease as soon as possible
- enable you to take an active role in your health and well-being surrounding disease management and treatment options
- allow you to engage with ongoing research into Parkinsons disease
- help you understand that the symptoms of Parkinsons arent just part of aging but a specific health condition
Also Check: Symptoms Of Parkinson’s Dementia
Embracing The Power Of Gratitude
Most of us have heard about the power of gratitude. According to research, expressing a sense of gratitude can contribute to stronger relationships and heightened levels of happiness. And those who regularly express it are more likely to be optimistic about life than those who dont.
While many of us practice gratitude by giving thanks, it actually is an emotion, and its recognition and expression can foster a greater sense of positivity.
New Hope To Help Advanced Parkinson’s Patients Walk Sleep Again
People with advanced Parkinson’s disease often struggle to walk more than a few steps or sleep through the night, but new research offers hope of relief from these two debilitating symptoms.
Suffered by millions worldwide, the degenerative disease erodes motor functions and in its later stages often confines patients to a bed or wheelchair.
This is due to a condition called orthostatic hypotension, which occurs when a person stands up and their blood pressure drops, causing dizziness and even fainting after a couple of steps.
For Parkinson’s sufferers, it happens because a regulator in the brainwhich normally ensures sufficient blood flows to the brain when we stand uphas been disrupted.
But new French research published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week found that a spinal cord implant could help advanced Parkinson’s patients get back on their feet.
Quality of life improved
Earlier this year, neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch and Gregoire Courtine revealed that such an implant had enabled three paralyzed people to walk again.
Both were also involved in the latest research, which tested a similar implant on a 48-year-old woman.
While the woman did not have Parkinson’s, she had such similar symptomsincluding orthostatic hypotensionthat she was initially diagnosed with the disease.
For paralyzed people, the spinal cord implant mimics how the brain sends electrical pulses to muscles, reconnecting a severed link.
Anti-insomnia pump
More information:
Recommended Reading: Can Medication Cause Parkinson’s
If I Exercise Will I Still Need My Parkinsons Medications
Some people find that exercise helps them reduce the doses of Parkinsons medications over time. But exercise is not a replacement for your medications. In fact, some people need more medications so they can stay active. Dont make changes to your medications without talking to your healthcare providers.