Parkinson's treatment breakthrough hailed

Tom Palmer

A BREAKTHROUGH has been made in research for a treatment for Parkinson’s disease by scientists at the University of Sheffield who believe their findings could help find ways to slow down or halt the condition.

The study identified for the first time how two genes work together to remove damaged mitochondria, which produce all the energy cells use.

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People with Parkinson’s don’t have enough cells producing the chemical dopamine and the lost nerve cells often contain damaged mitochondria.

The team at Sheffield studied cells from fruit flies to see how the genes behaved inside them and it is believed that they work in the same way in humans.

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.”

About five per cent of people inherit Parkinson’s and this may be due to mutations in the two genes. He said understanding more about what these genes do could provide clues as to how to keep cells healthy.

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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 that the two genes played a crucial role in making sure that damaged mitochondria are quickly removed from the cell so that cells continued to work efficiently.