Drug Aids Nerve Regeneration in Animals=20
By CAROLYN SUSMAN=20
c. 1997 Cox News Service=20
new drug that is proving to be effective in tests on
animals may be the key to reversing symptoms of
Parkinson's disease, researchers say. And enrollment in
clinical trials is planned for early next year.=20
The compound, known as GPI-1046, has been developed
by Guilford Pharmaceuticals of Baltimore, Md., and has
been shown to stimulate nerve growth in the brains of
animals.=20
=93It is our feeling at this point that almost any disease that
involves chronic degeneration of nerves may benefit from
this,'' said Dr. Gregory Hamilton, principal scientist in
Guilford's research department.=20
The drug works by regenerating damaged nerves, resulting
in more than 90 percent recovery of normal behavior in
animal trials, he said.=20
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disease
that slowly affects a small area of cells in the middle part
of the brain. The loss of these cells reduces the amount of
dopamine, a vital chemical that when depleted causes
tremors, rigidity, and loss of balance.=20
Currently, 1.5 million in the U.S. have the disease,
including former boxer Muhammad Ali, U.S. Attorney
General Janet Reno, and the Rev. Billy Graham.=20
The research on the new drug was presented this month
during a meeting of the American Chemical Society in San
Francisco, and has been published in the Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences.=20
The drug, taken orally, appears capable of reversing the
tremors, muscle weakness and shuffling gait that
accompany Parkinson's without toxicity or side effects.
Because of the drug's success, researchers are also
considering using it to combat nerve damage caused by
diabetes, carpal tunnel syndrome, Bell's palsy, and head
and spinal cord injuries, according to Hamilton.=20
Other treatments have been tried for Parkinson's with
varying success, including:=20
--Use of the drug L-dopa, (although response to the
medication declines over time); y Experiments using=20
transplantation of brain tissue from aborted fetuses;=20
--Therapy in which genes that produce the chemical,
dopamine, that is missing in the brain are injected into the
brain.=20
We're not encouraging any enrollment yet (for the drug
trials),'' stresses Melinda Brown, spokeswoman for the
National Parkinson Foundation in Miami. ``But our
executive director met with the drug company last week
and we will be instrumental in recruiting patients.''=20
Candidates for the clinical trials will primarily be referred
to the program by doctors, but information can be
obtained by calling the National Parkinson Foundation at
(800) 327-4545=20
--=20
(The Cox web site is at http://www.coxnews.com )=20
NYT-04-28-97 1211EDT<
Margaret Tuchman (55yrs, Dx 1980)- NJ-08540
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