Fw: Emailing: printable546842

[Bob Parsons <bobup@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

CBSNews.com: Print This StorySent: Sunday, March 30, 2003 5:12 PM
Subject: Emailing: printable546842



 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parkinson's Drug Shows Promise
WASHINGTON, March 30, 2003


A preliminary trial to test the safety of a drug in people with Parkinson's 
disease surprised scientists when all five patients showed measurable 
improvement. 

The drug eliminated the periods of immobility that had occurred as much as 20 
percent of the time before treatment and reduced or stopped the involuntary 
movements common to the disease, said Clive N. Svendsen of the University of 
Wisconsin-Madison. Also, the senses improved for three patients who had lost 
the ability to taste or smell. 

While much more work needs to be done, the findings being reported Monday in 
the online issue of the journal Nature Medicine encouraged researchers. 

"All five patients showed improvement, some more than others. Some symptoms 
were more affected," said Svendsen, one of the researchers on the trial. 

The results show that the drug, GNDF, "is worth studying very carefully" as a 
possible treatment for Parkinson's disease, he said. 

Dr. Michael J. Zigmond of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who 
has studied the disease for 30 years but was not part of the research team, was 
enthusiastic about the report. 

"I consider this study to be the most exciting advance in the treatment of 
Parkinson's disease that has come about in years," he said. "I think the 
findings hold tremendous promise for going beyond" treating the disease's 
symptoms to treating the underlying disease itself. 

Parkinson's is a progressive disease of the nervous system that affects an 
estimated 1.2 million people in the United States and Canada. Symptoms include 
tremors, body rigidity and problems in movement. 

Former boxing champion Muhammad Ali, actor Michael J. Fox and former Attorney 
General Janet Reno have Parkinson's. 

While the disease's cause is unknown, most symptoms stem from a lack of the 
brain chemical dopamine. Most drugs used to treat the disease restore dopamine 
or mimic its action, but they do not act permanently. Deep-brain stimulation 
using electricity also is used in therapy. 

In the new trial, the five patients had a mini-pump implanted under the skin, 
with tubing connecting to an area within the brain called the putamen. 

Tests showed that despite the fact that there were brain cells there that react 
to dopamine, they were not using the chemical. 

The pump delivered a continuous flow of GDNF - glial cell line-derived 
neurotrophic factor - to the area. GDNF is vital to the development and 
maintenance of these cells and the human tests were arranged after the drug 
showed promise in mice and primates with Parkinson's. 

When testing turns to humans, the first trial - phase one - is limited to a few 
people. The aim is just to make sure there are no dangerous side effects. Only 
then can larger, double-blind tests be set up to see how well the medication 
works. 

This phase one test has continued nearly two years with no side effects to the 
patients, Svendsen said. The next stage is being arranged. 




By Randolph E. Schmid
©MMIII, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be 
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

. Feedback  . Terms of Service  . Privacy Statement

----------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn