Study aims to develop new Parkinson’s drug

A major research project getting underway at the Royal Free could bring a breakthrough in the hunt for a new treatment which could better slow or stop the progression of Parkinson's disease. The research is a 'proof of principle' study which will test a drug and investigate the hypothesis that Parkinson's symptoms could be treated by reversing the impact of a mutation of the GBA gene. It's already well known that the mutation causes Gaucher's disease, but researchers now know it also increases the risk of a person developing Parkinson's by 20 to 30 times. It is believed that the mutation leads to an accumulation of protein which promotes the degeneration of nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine, a cause of many Parkinson's symptoms. The drug, which has already been safely tested in humans for another condition, may increase activity associated with the GBA gene and therefore reduce the protein accumulation. As many as 10% of people with Parkinson's in the UK have the gene mutation, but the research will also test the hypothesis that the drug may also help Parkinson's patients who don't fall into this group. The work has been made possible by a £660,000 award given to an international team of researchers by the Centres of Excellence in Neurodegeneration (CoEN) initiative, launched in 2010 by the Medical Research Council, and builds on a similar grant awarded in 2011.