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Doctors Working On Vaccine For Parkinson's Not a cure, but aimed at slowing and easing its progression Email Address: [log in to unmask] Parkinson's disease instantly changes the lives of those diagnosed with it and while no one knows the cause, doctors at the Nebraska Medical Center are working on a way to possibly ease the pain and some of the effects. Med center researchers are fine-tuning a vaccine they thought would be the answer to the prayers of those taking medication to stop the progression of Parkinson's. Here's why they may have to start over. Conversation is easy for 52-year-old Monnie Lindsay, but at 38, she says doctors gave her troubling news. "It's a horrible disease. It continues to progress. For those that have advanced disease, it's like living life in a locked box." Researchers are working on relief for Lindsay and the one-and-a-half million Parkinson's patients across the country. "We want to prevent the natural events of the immune system attacking the brain and speeding the disease process," says the Nebraska Medical Center's Dr. Howard Gendelman. To do that, researchers had been working on a vaccine, testing it on lab mice, but the vaccine didn't work as planned. It didn't slow or stop the disease. In fact, the vaccine produced results in the mice similar to advanced-stage Parkinson's in humans. Now, researchers are re-examining the vaccine and how proteins and our immune system contribute to the disease. "It's not a cure, it's not a prevention of Parkinson's disease, it's an alleviation of the disease itself or the course of the disease," says Dr. Gendelman. Until then, those living with Parkinson's, like Lindsay, will have to continue taking their prescribed medication. For some Parkinson's patients, medications aren't even enough to treat the disease. In extreme situations they often undergo surgery. What's next for the research at the med center? Doctors would of course like to get the vaccine to Parkinson's patients as soon as possible. However, getting a vaccine approved is a lengthy process. There's no set timetable as to when the vaccine will be available. Rayilyn Brown Board Member AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn