Hi folks: We are very excited about the report in Science Magazine (copy
included in this message) and the fact that the doctors at Queen's
University are getting very close to finding the cause and utimately the
cure for ataxias, PD, ALS, MSA et al. Our friend (a nurse) in Kingston was
able to speak directly to Dr. Ross and passed his email address on to us. We
quickly got a note off to him and received the following from Dr. Riopelle
today.
Jack and Joan Martin, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
"Date: Fri, 17 Jan 1997 17:40:08 -0500
From: Rick Riopelle <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
CC: [log in to unmask]
Subject: your e-mail note to Dr. Greg Ross
Dear Mrs. and Mr. Martin;
Thank you for your note to Greg which he passed along to me
to-day. We too are excited by the observations and we are now positioning
ourselves to determine whether we can translate these findings into a
therapy for diseases of both nerve cells (such as those you mentioned)
and other cells of the nervous system (such as in MS). Our working
hypothesis is that in the diseases mentioned the cells become susceptible
to degeneration because the particular receptor protein p75 can no longer
be appropriately regulated. By being able to demonstrate this in animal
models of the diseases you mention, and then show that our compound can
halt or reverse the process in these animals, we will have gone a long
way to provide the documentation necessary to embark on a drug
development program.
Your offer coordinating funding support for this research work
is very kind indeed. I will undertake to inform the Research Foundation
at Kingston General Hospital to set up an account such that donations to
the project become eligible for tax receipts. I will ask the Hospital to
receive donations into
The P75 Research Fund
c/o The Kingston General Hospital Foundation
Kingston General Hospital
Stuart St., Kingston, ON, K7L 2V7, CANADA
Thank you on behalf of Dr. Ross, our research team, and myself. I
look forward to corresponding with you in the future.
R.J.Riopelle MD, FRCP(C), Consultant Neurologist
THE FOLLOWING IS THE ARTICLE THAT APPEARED IN SCIENCE MAGAZINE:
>From Canadian Press as published in last week's Hamilton (Ontario, Canada)
Spectator
Degenerative Disease Breakthrough Made by Kingston (Ontario, Canada)
Scientists
A breakthrough made by two Queen's University medical researchers may help
scientists conquer degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Multiple
Sclerosis.
Clinical neurologist Dr. Rick Riopelle and biochemist Greg Ross have been able
to demonstrate in a laboratory how drugs can stop neuro-degenerative disorders,
such as Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and ALS (Lou Gehrig's
Disease).
The researchers, working at the Apps Medical Research Centre in Kingston
General Hospital, have discovered the conditions that block a self-destructive
process in cells.
Results of the two-year study were published Friday in Science magazine.
"We're very excited," said Mr. Ross. "It really gives us a whole new view of
approaches we may take to developing drugs that could be useful in treating
these disorders."
The breakthrough has personal meaning for Mr. Ross. His 70-year-old
grandmother died from the neuro-degenerative disorder Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis.
"It's a devastating disorder," he said.
The researchers examined two protein molecules, one a receptor and the other a
signal for cells to destroy themselves. They were able to develop a drug that
blocked the receptor so that the self-destruct message didn't get through.
The process is necessary, said Mr. Ross, so that cells in the brain can be
eliminated when they make wrong connections.
"Cells have to have the ability to kill themselves," said Mr.. Ross, "and
during development in people under the age of two years old, the ability...is
an absolute requirement.
"But the problem is that the cell may inappropriately use these same
mechanisms in the mature nervous system, where you don't want these cells to
die."
Mr. Ross said the discovery won't produce immediate results for sufferers
because the drug researchers used can't be used for treatment because it's
dissolved by the body too quickly.
But the discovery will be key in determining the kind of drug that could stop
such degenerative diseases, Mr. Ross said.
.
