Monday, August 31, 2009

Parkinson’s disease: Do we have a cure yet?

By Saurabh Sen, Ph.D.
Center for Neurodegeneration & Experimental Therapeutics (CNET), University of Alabama at Birmingham

Parkinson’s Disease (commonly referred to and acronymed as PD) is the second most common neurological disorder (a movement disorder disease) affecting about 2% of population. PD is a disorder of the brain where-in the brain cells responsible for the secretion of dopamine (a neurotransmitter which controls the movement and coordination within our body) are damaged and degraded.

The cardinal symptoms for a person who have been diagnosed with PD can be defined as who has been “TRAP”-ed by old age:

T: Tremor
R: Rigidity
A: Akinesia / Bradykinesia
P: Postural Instability

All the above symptoms relate to a variety of movement disorder problems. The exact cause which leads to Parkinson’s disease is yet unknown. Exploratory scientific research has attributed both genetic traits as well as environmental factors to be a leading factor for this disease. This disease stage generally sets in after the age of 50 and the chances of getting the disease increases with the progression towards old age. It has been observed the PD tends to affect men slightly more than women.

As of today, there is no cure for PD. Current therapies use Levodopa as a drug to restore the normal function of the brain. It helps mitigate movement problems because of its similarity to the chemical structure of dopamine. Levodopa does not cure Parkinson’s; it only brings a relief to the patient.

Dr. Sen’s current research focuses on a translational approach to discover and develop therapeutics for PD. He is working with a gene called LRRK2 (Leucine Rich Repeat Kinase 2) which has been implicated in late-onset autosomal dominant PD. This gene has recently gained a lot of importance for its role in the disease and with its unique property of exhibiting kinase activity and GTPase activity encompassed within the same protein, and has become a very important drug target for pharmaceutical industries. His research reveals a mechanistic insight into the molecular details of the function of LRRK2 and the understanding we gain out of it will help discover new drug molecules to halt the progression of the disease using a neuro-protective / neuro-restorative strategy (Review article: ‘The Therapeutic Potential of LRRK2 and a-Synuclein in Parkinson’s Disease’: Sen S and West AB, 2009, ANTIOXIDANTS & REDOX SIGNALING Volume 11). Along with LRRK2, there has been yet another very important therapeutic target in PD which is known as alpha-synuclein.

More details of his research can be found in the article referenced above as well as in his blog at: http://gpcrpd.blogspot.com/

Further questions about scientific research on PD can be directed to:
Dr. Saurabh Sen
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Linked in: http://www.linkedin.com/in/saurabhsen

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