Parkinson's Treatment Reduces Symptoms
Posted on: Wednesday, 11 October 2006, 15:00 CDT
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago have said a new Parkinson's disease treatment reduced symptoms by 40 percent.
However, researchers said the test only involved 12 patients and may have been affected by the placebo effect, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Wednesday.
Further tests of the gene therapy method could solidify the treatment as the first known to slow, halt or possibly reverse damage done by the progressive disease. Treatments are currently available to relieve symptoms of the illness, but do not stop the disease from progressing.
The procedure features two nickel-size holes drilled into the top of a patient's head by a brain surgeon. A virus containing the desired gene is then inserted into the brain using a needle, and the virus carries the gene to the brain cells. The cells are then instructed by the gene to produce a protein that protects and regenerates cells that make dopamine.
The results were announced at a meeting of the American Neurological Association in Chicago. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research has donated $1.9 million for a follow-up study.
Source: United Press International
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