Hello everyone,
I have some miscellaneous information on possible new
treatment(s) for PD. In May 6, 1994, issue of Science (vol 264 pages 772-774)
there is an article on neurotrophic factor -nerve growth factor (NGF).
Appearantly, NGF helps nerve cells to grow. Synergen and Amgen are two
companies that are developing NGF's for PD. Synergen's CEO, Larry Soll was
quoted as saying " we are hoping that we can reverse the disease". Synergen
researchers had success with rat and mice experiments. The next step is with
primates and if that is successful, Synergen hopes to have clinical trails by
1995.
I was using Veronica to search the Internet and I came
across an article about Dr. Jon Wolff at the University of Wisconsin at
Madison. Experimenting with rats that had PD type symtoms, Dr. Wolff took
muscle cells from the rats and genetically alter them to produce the enzyme,
tyrosine hydroxylase. He then place the cells into the brains of the rats. In
that location the enzyme causes the muscle cell's own chemistry to produce
L-Dopa. His research was published in the journal Nature (April 1; it did not
give a year).
Also on the Internet there was a report about Dr.Joel
Trugman at the University of Virgina that treated a 70 year old man who was
in a vegetative state from PD. Dr Trugman gave this man a 24-hour continuous
infusion of L-Dopa. Within days he "woke up " . The patient now has a
portable pump that constantly administers L-Dopa. Currently he lives in his
own apartment, shops, and travels. Dr. Trugman said, "The problem is just
mechanics". "You need a good partner or an aide to help with the drug mixture
and the mechanical
aspects of the pump, which costs about $3000, but it doesn't require a lot of
technical expertise." The date on this report is 92-05-15 (error?).
Please remember these research projects are in their
early stages and I have not personally talk to any of the doctors. I am
hoping with the new administration that any new promising PD treatment will
get the FDA's
fast track approval. Take care and keep the faith.
Jon Baltos ([log in to unmask])
