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The following article appeared in the March 4, 2003 edition of the Orlando Sentinel (Florida) The University of Miami received a $9 million grant to study brain cells. (by Nancy McVicar, Florida correspondent.) MIAMI - The search for a cure for Parkinson's disease, which strikes one of every 100 people over age 60, got a $9 million boost Monday in a gift from the National Parkinson Foundation to the University of Miami School of Medicine. Dr. Abraham Lieberman, medical director of the foundation and a professor of neurology at the medical school, said the money will be used to hire top scientist in Parkinson' research. "They are charged with recruiting topflight scientists to come to Miami, and to provide the laboratory space for them. The University of Miami already has good people in Parkinson's research and we have a strong clinical program," Lieberman said. Dr. Walter Bradley, professor and chairman of the department of neurology at UM, said the money will be spread over five years - $1.8 million per year. The first step will be to hire a world-class scientist to be the program director, who will hire 10 other researchers. On Tuesday, Dr. Paul Greengard, who won the 2000 Nobel Prize for his work in neurobiology, will visit UM to suggest a list of scientists who might be recruited. An estimated 55,000 Floridians have Parkinson's, a progressive neurological disease that most commonly develops between the ages of 55 and 65 causing difficulty in initiating movement, slowness of movement, muscular stiffness and tremors. The disease develops when a small group of dopamine-containing neuron in part of the brain stem deteriorate. Bradley said laboratory research will examine why brain cells die in Parkinson's disease, and will expand on related discoveries in molecular genetics. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn