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July 25, 2008 10:40:25 PM CDT

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New Studies Give Hope to Parkinson's Patients

Posted Jun 22, 07 4:25 AM CDT in World,  US,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – Two new experimental treatments for Parkinson's could stop the progress of the devastating disease and allay its symptoms, researchers say. A new study shows gene therapy was successful in boosting production of an enzyme that calms overactive neurons, reducing the jittery effects of the brain disorder.

In a separate study, a new drug shielded fruit-fly neurons from a destructive Parkinson's enzyme. Researchers say the gene therapy had no side effects and staved off symptoms for as long as four years. Neither treatment is a cure, however, and both are a long way from FDA approval: Docs only tested gene therapy on 11 patients, while the drug hasn't been given to a single human.

Source Reuters

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Nathan Klein of Port Washington, N.Y., left, poses for a portrait with Dr. Michael Kaplitt, of Weill Cornell Medical College, Thursday, June 21, 2007, in New York. Klein, a 59-year-old freelance television...   (Associated Press)
Nathan Klein of Port Washington, N.Y., poses for a portrait, Thursday, June 21, 2007, in New York. Klein, a 59-year-old freelance television producer, was the first Parkinson's patient to be treated with...   (Associated Press)
Actor Michael J. Fox, who is afflicted with Parkinson's Disease, delivers an address to the Bio International Convention in Boston, Monday, May 7, 2007. Fox appealed to scientists and investors to aggressively...   (Associated Press)
Actor Michael J. Fox, who is afflicted with Parkinson's Disease, gestures during an address to the Bio International Convention in Boston, Monday, May 7, 2007. Fox appealed to scientists and investors...   (Associated Press)
Actor Michael J. Fox, who is afflicted with Parkinson's Disease, delivers an address to the Bio International Convention in Boston, Monday, May 7, 2007. Fox appealed to scientists and investors to aggressively...   (Associated Press)
The first dozen Parkinson's patients to have holes drilled in their skulls for a novel gene therapy attempt weren't harmed _ and hints at some improvement have researchers embarking on a larger study...   (Associated Press)
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