Future treatments for Parkinson's
Current research into future
treatments for Parkinson's is concerned with trying to replace
lost dopamine by using drugs that mimic
its actions or preventing the remaining nerve cells being broken
down so they remain more effective.
Dopamine is a chemical which
allows messages to be sent to the parts of the brain that
co-ordinate movement.
Parkinson's occurs due to a loss of nerve cells in the brain.
The symptoms of Parkinson's emerge when around 70% of cells have
been lost.
The nerve cells that die and lead to the development of
Parkinson's are responsible for producing dopamine.
With the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells, these parts of
the brain are unable to function normally, causing the symptoms of
Parkinson's to appear.
Gene therapy for Parkinson's
Gene therapy is a new approach to treating medical
conditions, which can be described as the use of genes as
drugs.
For Parkinson's, gene therapy could be used to prevent the death
of nerve cells and also to promote the regeneration of cells.
It works by introducing normal genes into people with certain
disorders to overcome the effects of defective genes that may cause
or have a part to play in the development of their condition.
Gene therapy will be useful as a treatment for Parkinson's,
whether or not a genetic cause led to or contributes to their
condition.
It is likely to be used to treat people in the early stages of
Parkinson's whose nerve cells are still alive, whose symptoms are
not controlled by available medications, or those with severe side
effects.
Gene therapy is not yet available as a therapeutic option for
people with Parkinson's and is still in the early stages of
research.
You can read more in our Gene therapy
for Parkinson's information sheet
Stem cell research
The research we're doing into stem cells could ultimately restore the supply of dopamine and make the brain work properly again.
Dr Tilo Kunath, University of Edinburgh
Stem cells have the ability to develop into different types of
cells, for example skin, blood, brain and bone, by a process known
as differentiation.
Stem cells are found at many different sites in the developing
and adult body and brain.
They can renew themselves for long periods and could potentially
be used to repair and renew cells in the body and brain.
Stem cell research aims to understand more about how an organism
develops from a single cell and how healthy cells can replace
damaged cells in the adult.
Researchers are looking at how dopamine-producing cells that are
lost in people with Parkinson's can be replaced with new healthy
dopamine-producing cells derived from stem cells grown in the
laboratory.
If this were possible, stem cell therapy could be the first
treatment to eventually offer an effective cure for
Parkinson's.
Although stem cell research is progressing steadily in the UK,
it will be at least 5 to 10 years before clinical trials using stem
cell therapy will be considered.
You can read more in our Stem cell
research information sheet
Cytoplasmic hybrid cells
Cytoplasmic hybrid cells offer a new way for scientists to
obtain stem cells for research that may potentially lead to the
development of new ways of treating Parkinson's in the future.
The number of human stem cells available for research is very
small. This restricts the ability to carry out studies to
develop an understanding of how they grow and change to form nerve
cells.
Cytoplasmic hybrid cells cannot be used for the treatment of
Parkinson's as there is a very small amount of animal DNA within
them.
They do provide researchers with information on how stem cells
work and how they can be transformed into the correct type of nerve
cells that may ultimately be used for transplantation in
Parkinson's.
You can read more in our Cytoplasmic
hybrid cells information sheet
Developing better treatments for Parkinson's
We are committed to developing new and better treatments for
Parkinson's and, ultimately, a cure.
Read more about our current
research
In this section
Direct and confidential help and support
- email
-
Share