New research shows blocking LRRK2 activity could slow or stop
Parkinson's
27 August 2010
New research published in the journal Nature
Medicine this week has shown for the first time that blocking
the activity of LRRK2 - a gene known to be involved in Parkinson’s – prevents nerve cell death in a
mouse model of the condition.
This study reveals LRRK2 as a potential target for drugs that could slow or stop the death of nerve cells in Parkinson’s.
Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research
Changes in the
LRRK2 gene (pronounced lark 2) associated with Parkinson's were
first identified by Parkinson's UK-funded researchers in 2004.
What the researchers did
In the study at John Hopkins University in the US, researchers
used enzymes known as 'kinase inhibitors' to block the activity of
a part of the LRRK2 protein called a kinase.
Interfering with this part of the LRRK2 protein was able to
prevent the chain of events that normally results in nerve cell
death in their mouse model.
Potential for drugs that slow or stop Parkinson's
Our Director of Research and Development, Dr Kieran Breen,
comments:
"LRRK2 is the most common known genetic factor linked with
Parkinson's. But we still don't fully understand how subtle changes
in LRRK2 lead to nerve cell death.
"This study reveals LRRK2 as
a potential target for drugs that could slow or stop the death of
nerve cells in Parkinson's.
"I'm looking forward to hearing more about this research at the
World Parkinson Congress (WPC) in
September, where one of the author's of this study, Valerie L
Dawson, will be presenting her findings."
Image: LRRK2, a gene known to be involved in
Parkinson's
Why do nerve cells die?
People with Parkinson's don't have enough of a chemical called
dopamine because some nerve cells in their brains have died.
But how and why these nerve cells die is still unknown.
We are currently funding 37 research projects worth over
£5million exploring the causes of
Parkinson's.
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