Hi all,
I sent an e-mail to the Sunday Star Times explaining about this group and
asked if they could e-mail me their news item so I could forward it to the
group - and guess what, it just arrived.  I'm sorry it is set out in a
funny way and I'm not competent enough to try to change it, so I am simply
posting it exactly as I received it.  It makes for very exciting reading
but, being rationalists, I'm sure we would all appreciate feedback from all
you medical contributors as well.
Cheers - Christine Anderson 48/4

X-Mailer: Microsoft Internet Mail & News for Macintosh - 3.0a (370)=20
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 02:43:07 +1300
From: Feedback <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]

gcvdc,4,5=0FIN a stunning international=20

first, an Auckland research=20

team has discovered two=20

drugs it believes could halt=20

the progression of some of man=1D

kind's cruellest illnesses _ in=1D

cluding Alzheimer's disease,=20

Parkinson's disease and multiple=20

sclerosis.=20

 Professor Peter Gluckman's=20

Auckland Medical School team=20

has spent 10 years developing=20

brain rescue therapy and has pat=1D

ented two drugs that have sparked=20

international excitement.

 The drugs protect brain cells=20

from damage or death through dis=1D

ease and injury.=20

 One, a hormone given by injec=1D

tion, is expected to begin multina=1D

tional clinical trials on multiple=20

sclerosis patients within 12=20

months _ and New Zealanders=20

will be among the first in the=20

world to take part.=20

 The second is a small molecule=20

which because of its size can be=20

easily administered, is cheap to=20

make and has few apparent side-=20

effects.

 It is this drug that holds new=20

hope for victims of progressive=20

neurological diseases such as=20

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and=20

Huntington's, as well as acute=20

conditions such as strokes.

 Clinical trials are expected to=20

begin in 2000 and if they go well,=20

the drugs could be on the market=20

by 2001.

 =A1We are on the verge of some=1D

thing unique,=BF said Professor=20

Gluckman. =A1A small molecule=20

which can be given quite straight=1D

forwardly _ perhaps in pill form=20

_ doesn't have obvious side-ef=1D

fects and which is very potent in=20

stopping brain cells dying is ex=1D

actly what everyone has been=20

looking for for a long time.

 =A1In a range of diseases, of=20

which Alzheimer's is a classic ex=1D

ample, we believe we can stop the=20

progression=20

of disease=20

by stopping=20

brain cells=20

dying. The=20

data we=20

have is suf=1D

ficient to=20

merit large-

scale investment. It is certainly the=20

best thing on the horizon=20

internationally.=BF

 Professor Gluckman said the=20

power of the drug to prevent dam=1D

age was discovered by sheer luck.=20

 =A1We thought it was a junk by=1D

product of a chemical reaction in=20

the brain. Everyone assumed it=20

had no biological role. But we=20

discovered it had a greater effect=20

than other molecules we were=20

testing.=BF

 Professor Ross Clark, a research=20

team director, says the drug has=20

prevented brain cells dying in ani=1D

mals in which Parkinson's and=20

Huntington's type brain injuries=20

have been induced.=20

 Both are progressive disorders=20

which cause physical disability,=20

and in the case of the inherited=20

disease Huntington's, dementia.=20

 Animal studies on Alzheimer's,=20

which afflicts 38,000 New Zea=1D

landers, begin shortly. About 8000=20

people here have Parkinson's and=20

 3000 MS.=20

 Negotiations are under way=20

with international biotechnology=20

merchant bankers to raise $10 mil=1D

lion to fund MS trials for the=20

growth factor, a hormone known=20

as IGF1.

 Although Professor Gluckman=20

believes the future hope for MS=20

sufferers may lie in a combination=20

of drugs, =A1it looks to us as if we=20

can slow the rate of progression of=20

the disease and maybe stop it=20

altogether=BF.

 The drug is also thought to=20

have the potential to treat babies=20

who have suffered oxygen depri=1D

vation at birth.

 The university has set up=20

NeuronZ _ effectively the coun=1D

try's first major New Zealand-

owned, research-based pharma=1C

ceutical company _ to trial the=20

drugs and ready them for the=20

world market.

 Professor Gluckman estimates=20

the discovery could rocket the=20

company's worth to =A1hundreds of=20

millions of dollars=BF in the next=20

three to five years.

 It is the first time a New Zea=1D

land-based company will clinically=20

trial drugs developed in this coun=1D

try. =A1It shows things in little old=20

New Zealand are of international=20

importance and can be commer=1D

cialised for New Zealand.=BF

 The research started when Pro=1D

fessor Gluckman began to investi=1D

gate what the brain did to limit=20

damage after injury. He discov=1D

ered it cooled itself and also made=20

protective hormones known as=20

growth factors _ but that the pro=1D

cess took several days.=20

 =A1We asked: `What if we do it a=20

bit better than the brain could do=20

itself?'



 =A1Given that many of these dis=1D

eases can now be diagnosed at a=20

very early stage, the future holds a=20

lot of hope.=BF=20

=E8Profile FOCUS C3





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