The protein was pumped into the
brain |
A new
treatment pumped directly into the brains of patients with advanced
Parkinson's disease has produced "highly promising" results in early
trials.
It does not cure the disease, but each of the five patients
involved in the trial enjoyed a "significant" improvement to their
severe symptoms - one who was barely able to walk can now cover
three miles a day.
Scientists working on the drug said it could be the most
important treatment breakthrough in the disease since the discovery
of L-dopa, the drug most commonly used to help sufferers.
Any alternative to L-dopa will be welcomed by Parkinson's
patients as the existing drug can only help patients for a limited
number of years before its benefits begin to fade.
The drug - a growth factor - could be widely available within the
next five to 10 years, say the researchers.
Researchers from the Frenchay Hospital's, Institute of
Neurosciences, Bristol, studied the five patients over two years and
found their mobility and brain functions much improved.
The tremors which dog Parkinson's patients were greatly reduced,
and there are hopes that larger doses of the drug could be used in
future.
Important step
The findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, have
prompted a much larger multi-national study.
Neurosurgeon Steven Gill, who co-ordinated the research, said the
patients, all of whom had advanced Parkinson's, had shown
considerable improvements.
"We are seeing this as a pretty major step. It needs to be
refined, but we have a chance to reverse the progress of
Parkinson's."
And he said it was potentially the most important step "since the
discovery of L-dopa".
"All five have shown improvement in their symptoms. We were
seeing improvements in all their quality of lives.
 All five have shown improvement in their
symptoms 
|
"That has not
been done for any chronic degenerative disease before," he said.
The drug, called protein glial cell line-derived neurotrophic
factor (GDNF) was infused into the brains of the five patients over
an 18-month period.
"These are patients who were at the end of the medical line when
we offered them the trial."
After a year the patients showed no serious clinical side
effects.
Tests administered to measure the motor skills of the patients
showed a 39% improvement. Tests used to measure daily living
activities showed a 61% improvement in the patients who had been
given GDNF.
Encouraging results
Parkinson's patients suffer from a lack of the brain chemical
dopamine, which helps them control their movements.
High image PET scans on the patients were carried out at the
Hammersmith Hospital and showed a significant increase in the
brain's ability to store dopamine.
Mr Gill said that because the aim of the study was only to prove
the safety of the treatment, the levels of GDNF were very small, but
he said it still showed a remarkable improvement.
There are 120,000 people in the UK with Parkinson's disease.
Each year 10,000 people are diagnosed with the disease, of which
one in 20 will be under the age of 40.
About a third of Parkinson's sufferers also develop senile
dementia.
The Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) said the results were
encouraging.
"The Parkinson's Disease Society is delighted to have provided
sponsorship for this pilot study, which, thus far, has produced
encouraging results.
"The PDS is strongly committed to supporting research into the
cause and cure of Parkinson's and welcomes further investigation in
this promising area.
"More research and multi-centred trials need to be undertaken,
and we look forward to seeing the results of larger scale trials in
the future."
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