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(11 Nov 96) Mitochondria Thanks to Jackie Gilman for the article about mitochondrial DNA. IMHO, this is the most promising lead toward an eventual cure for PD. If the defective gene is found, that may also help to identify the possible environmental trigger. But, don't expect the cure to be in the form of a simple pill or injection. As Carole Hilton points out, there will remain the problem of getting the "repaired" DNA into the precise location of the patient's brain where it can do some good. Other groups are looking at mitochondria and Complex I, and there is also work toward what is called gene transfer. As I understand it, this is a complex process where the DNA of a virus that won't kill its host cell, such as one of the herpes type, is altered to do some exotic function, for example to make dopamine. The virus is then allowed to infect a lab culture of neurons, which are then planted in the patient's graft site, just as the fetal tissue is transplanted now. For real science fiction, one might muse on possibly skipping a step and injecting the PD patient with the virus directly; then the viral DNA would replace the patient's DNA and he would become the original donor! Any movie scriptwriters in the crowd? Cheers, Joe J. R. Bruman (818) 789-3694 3527 Cody Road Sherman Oaks CA 91403