Parkinson’s patients ‘owed’ more research into using cancer drug as treatment

News

Author: AdminPublished: 2 November 2015

Prep: Cook: Serves:

A small clinical trial showed that cancer drug Nilotinib may reverse late-stage Parkinson’s disease, potentially enabling participants to speak and walk again for the first time in years.

President and co-founder of The Cure Parkinson’s Trust, Tom Isaacs, has called for a close follow up of this small study to ensure that any opportunity for a breakthrough in the treatment of Parkinson’s is not missed.

Isaacs said: ‘Nilotinib is a case in point. When people with Parkinson’s volunteer for clinical trials and feel the type of marked improvements to their symptoms and wellbeing as those reported in this study, we owe it to them, and indeed everyone, to follow the results up as quickly and as rigorously as possible.”

Last Month

Next Month

Go Back

Share this story

Comments

Interviews

Crowdfunded Irish feature film shines light on young onset Parkinson’s

We spoke to writer and director Chiara Viale

Women and Parkinson’s: “Being pregnant was scary”

One woman’s poignant account of pregnancy and Parkinson’s

Charity Miles: the app “changing the way you see the world”

We talk to the founder of the Charity Miles app

Ireland survey aims to uncover link between pesticides and Parkinson’s disease

Previous studies of vineyard and agricultural workers in France and the US highlight potential correlations between pesticide exposure and Parkinson’s risk. Now, a team is conducting the first study in Ireland to investigate this potential link. Last week, researchers from University College Cork, Ireland, took to the country’s National Ploughing Championships – a three-day country show, agricultural trade fair and ploughing competition. Their goal? To “gather information on the environmental risks associated with Parkinson’s in Ireland”, according to Professor Aideen Sullivan of the university’s Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience. “Our survey is a broad-stroke approach. We are going to ask people what categories of pesticides they’ve used,” said Sullivan’s colleague, Dr Lucy Collins-Stack. “We are going into this thinking there may be a stronger link with rural settings rather than towns, but we still want to look at both.” The survey can be completed online.

Is there a link between Parkinson’s disease and blood vessel dysfunction?

Scientists in Slovakia have investigated the link between blood vessel dysfunction and Parkinson’s – and found that dopamine agonists may have an impact. The team studied the function of the endothelium – a membrane which lines the heart and blood vessels and helps control blood fluidity – in 41 people with the condition and 41 people without. Endothelial function was then measured through a parameter that assessed how easily blood could flow through the vessels. The results showed that while more people with Parkinson’s had endothelial dysfunction compared to those without, the difference did not reach statistical significance. However, the researchers noted that the findings suggested “an association between smoking, dopamine agonists, and impaired endothelial function” in those with the condition. Outlining the study’s limitations, the team noted that more research is needed to explore this potential link.

New swab test may help with Parkinson’s disease diagnosis

Researchers at the University of Manchester, UK, have drawn on one woman’s sense of smell to develop a swab test that may be used to detect Parkinson’s. The scientists used the test to analyse sebum (a type of oily substance on the skin) in 79 people with Parkinson’s and a control group of 71 healthy individuals. The team identified more than 4,000 different compounds in the participant samples – including 500 that were unique to those living with the condition. The test was developed with the help of Joy Milne from Perth, Scotland, whose unique sense of smell meant that she noticed a change in her late husband Les’s odour twelve years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Speaking to the BBC, Professor Perdita Barran, who led the research, described the test as potentially “transformative” – and said that the team hopes to roll the test out to people in…

All fields required

First name*
Last name*
Email address*
Enter Email Confirm Email
Country of residence*
About me*
- I have Parkinson's disease
- I am a partner / carer / family / friend of someone who has Parkinson's
- I am a healthcare professional with an interest in Parkinson's
- I work for a Parkinson's disease organisation
- Other
CAPTCHA
*
- By proceeding you agree to our
Comments
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Parkinson’s patients ‘owed’ more research into using cancer drug as treatment

News

Author: AdminPublished: 2 November 2015

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

Interviews

Crowdfunded Irish feature film shines light on young onset Parkinson’s

Women and Parkinson's

Women and Parkinson’s: “Being pregnant was scary”

Interviews

Charity Miles: the app “changing the way you see the world”

Ireland survey aims to uncover link between pesticides and Parkinson’s disease

Is there a link between Parkinson’s disease and blood vessel dysfunction?

New swab test may help with Parkinson’s disease diagnosis

{title}

Subscribe

Parkinson’s patients ‘owed’ more research into using cancer drug as treatment

News

Author: AdminPublished: 2 November 2015

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

Related articles

Interviews

Crowdfunded Irish feature film shines light on young onset Parkinson’s

Women and Parkinson's

Women and Parkinson’s: “Being pregnant was scary”

Interviews

Charity Miles: the app “changing the way you see the world”

Ireland survey aims to uncover link between pesticides and Parkinson’s disease

Is there a link between Parkinson’s disease and blood vessel dysfunction?

New swab test may help with Parkinson’s disease diagnosis

{title}

Subscribe

Sign in