The world has come a long way in learning and, treating Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Two studies published Thursday offer new hope for those affected by PD. One focuses on gene therapy to treat the symptoms of PD, another investigates a drug that could stop PD in its tracks; both treatments have limited testing with very small control groups, but nonetheless, a milestone in the treatment of PD.Â
Gene therapy is an emerging treatment that has gained great attention with researchers and scientists. The gene therapy procedure that was announced on Thursday uses a harmless virus to carry a new gene into the brain. The idea behind gene therapy is to replace faulty genes or augment the activity of beneficial genes. The procedure had no ill effects and appeared to reduce symptoms. Dr. Michael Kaplitt a doctor at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical Center said, “These exciting results need to be validated in a larger trial, but we believe this is a milestone — not only for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, but for the use of gene-based therapies against neurological conditions generally.”
In another study, released on Thursday a Harvard Medical group designed a drug that can protect the neurons damaged in PD, meaning, they may be able to halt the progression of PD right in its tracks. The drug could possibly, “protect neurons from cell death,” Alesksey Kazantsev who led the study, said in a telephone interview. They have tested their drug in lab dishes and fruit flies, which can be engineered to develop a condition highly similar to Parkinson’s in humans.
These treatments still need greater testing, but the direction research and technology is going points to a time when those suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, both patient and family, can find hope and assurance in a cure.
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