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NETRP FACT SHEET UNITED STATES ARMY NEUROTOXIN EXPOSURE TREATMENT RESEARCH PROGRAM Department of Defense sponsored biomedical research program Funding results-oriented Parkinson’s research with direct military relevance Dual Purpose of the NETRP: § Advance research on causes, diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease § Study factors to prevent and reduce the risk of military exposure to toxins, such as chemical and industrial agents, that may cause neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease Research Overview: § Environmental Factors: links between exposure to toxins and Parkinson’s disease; including interaction of mitochondria, the brain cell's energy source, toxins and Parkinsons disease § Parkinson’s Disease Epidemiology: studying incidence, distribution and clues to prevent onset of Parkinson’s § Early Detection and Diagnosis: monitoring soldiers' physiological functioning § Therapeutic Strategies: prevention and protection against neuro-toxic agents, including development of better imaging devices for earlier diagnosis § Gene therapy and structural repair by transplantation Potential Research Applications: § Protect deployed soldiers, and others at risk from bioterrorist agents § Translate to policy development at related federal agencies such as the EPA and NIOSH § Application of findings to Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disorders (such as Alzheimer’s, ALS, and Huntington's disease) and to new treatments that could repair the brain and spinal cord for many different neurological disorders History and Geographic Scope: The NETRP was established by Congress in 1997 and to date has received over $159 million in research. Awards to date: over 88 grants in 24 states and 8 foreign countries. NETRP recent funding history: Fiscal Year (FY) 1997 $25 Million FY2001 $15 Million FY1998 $25 Million FY2002 $17 Million FY1999 $20 Million FY2003 $21.25 Million FY2000 $10 Million FY2004 $26 Million Resulting Scientific and Methodological Breakthroughs [partial list]: § Linked environmental toxins, including agricultural herbicides and fungicides, to increased susceptibility of damage to dopamine neurons § Showed that a virus expressing "nerve growth factor" increased dopamine function in monkeys § Developed mouse strains to study neuronal effect of a key protein, alpha synuclein § Developed a cell duplication method for transplanting healthy dopamine cells § Determined that a growth factor could enhance survival of grafted brain cells § Identified locations of certain brain cell "glutamate receptors" important in Parkinson's correlated with progressive supranuclear palsy § Developed imaging software to measure brain alterations in Parkinson's § Discovered a specific form of neuronal injury associated with oxidative damage § Demonstrated that a certain antioxidant or low dose progesterone attenuates severity of seizure activity Source: Military Operational Medicine Research Program, USAMRMC Date: July 25, 2002 Revised: June 15, 2004 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn