Lizard venom offers hope for Parkinson’s disease patients

The saliva of a venomous lizard native to southwestern America and Mexico could provide a cure for patients with Parkinson's disease. A trial is underway at UCLH to establish whether the drug 'Exenatide' could be used to treat patients with the progressive neurological condition. A synthetic version of this drug, originally found in the saliva of the Gila monster, is already an approved treatment for patients with diabetes. However, laboratory evidence suggests it could also arrest the neurodegenerative process that causes Parkinson's disease ' potentially leading to a cure. Four independent groups around the world (including colleagues at the School of Pharmacy, London), have shown that this drug can improve symptoms of Parkinson's and rescue dying cells in five different rodent models of the disease. Dr Tom Foltynie, consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, who is leading the trial, said: 'This is an incredibly exciting project. At present there is no cure for Parkinson's disease and the drugs currently available only relieve the symptoms, but do not arrest the underlying progressive neurodegenerative process.