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Scots team gets £153,000 to defeat Parkinson's disease SCOTTISH researchers are hoping to make a major breakthrough in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. A team at the University of Edinburgh has been awarded £153,000 to study a potential cause and treatment for the devastating disease. They will investigate how a family of proteins called 14-3-3 affect the cells in the brain which are lost in Parkinson's patients. The accumulation of abnormal forms of proteins can lead to a drop in brain function among those with neuro-degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's. The researchers, led by Professor Alastair Aitken, want to find out how the 14-3-3 protein family is involved. Such a discovery could help them to find ways of stopping the protein build-up which is the start of Parkinson's. The research is being funded by the Parkinson's Disease Society. Dr Kieran Breen, the charity's director of research, said: "The cause of Parkinson's is not yet known, but it is thought to be a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. "More research into the effects of the 14-3-3 family of proteins will enhance our knowledge of the causes of Parkinson's and lead the way to developing new treatments and an effective cure for the condition." Last updated: 02-Dec-06 01:16 GMT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn