Breakthrough in treatment for Parkinson's disease hailed

inside them. Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research and Development at the Parkinson’s Disease Society, said: “This is an important step forward in understanding what happens in the nerve cells which are lost in Parkinson’s when there are faulty genes.

“We know that about five per cent of people inherit Parkinson’s and this may be due to mutations in the PINK1 or parkin genes. Understanding more about what these genes do and how mutations may kill nerve cells will give us a clue as to how to keep cells healthy.

“From this, we may be able to slow down or even stop Parkinson’s from progressing. At the Parkinson’s Disease Society we are passionate about finding a cure and better treatments for people with Parkinson’s, and this development moves us closer towards this goal.”

The research was funded by the society and was published by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr Alex Whitworth, of the University’s Department of Biomedical Science who led the study, said: “We know that parkin and PINK 1 play a crucial role in making sure that damaged mitochondria are quickly removed from the cell.

“This ensures that all of the remaining mitochondria provide the cells with enough energy to work efficiently. We have discovered a potential way that shows how parkin might help remove damaged mitochondria.”