 |
 |
Hello all, Thought everybody might be interested in a press report by the Science Editor of the UK based Daily Telegraph. Margaret Tuchman has already sent in details from her own source but thought I would send what I read for anyone who missed it, and to confirm her report in different words. I haven't any fancy scanner gear (yet) so will retype the article which is as follows: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------- HOPE FOR VICTIMS OF PARKINSON'S IN FAMILY OF DRUGS A family of drugs has been developed that can repair damaged nerves and shows early promise in treating animals with Parkinson's disease. The drugs, called neuroimmunophilin compounds, are small molecules that can be taken orally, said Dr Craig Smith, president of Guildford Pharmaceuticals, Baltimore, Maryland. They enter the nervous system and the brain. After the early stages of human development, the nervous system loses most of its ability to repair itself. "We have happened upon a mechanism that somehow must be involved in turning that capability back on," said Dr Smith. The small molecules can, at low concentrations, stimulate repair of a wide range of nerve cell types, with no effect on normal nerves, in test-tube studies. "We are very encouraged by these findings," he said. In tests on rats suffering from Parkinson's disease, the drugs stimulated and protected nerves in part of the brain that normally deteriorates. Other studies showed that they can regenerate the insulation around a nerve, the kind of damage that is caused by multiple sclerosis. "We are very excited about the findings but we have not yet conducted experiments in models of multiple sclerosis," said Dr Smith. "It is promising but we are in the course of doing those experiments." The developers now want to investigate the value of the compounds in treating motor neuron disorders and diseases such as Alzheimer's. Dr Smith said trials on patients were expected in "a year or two". The compounds were discovered by scientists investigating the effect on the nervous system of drugs such as cyclosporin that are used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs. However, unlike their much larger parent compounds, the new family does not damp down the body's protective immune system, said Dr Smith. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Hope you find this encouraging. Keep up all your good work and stay hopeful Regards, Ernie, (53, PD 2.5 yrs diag) Ernie Peters ([log in to unmask])