Queen Elizabeth II honours UK university for Parkinson’s research

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Author: Roisin McCormackPublished: 5 December 2019

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Queen Elizabeth II visiting a research centre

A neuroscience research centre at the University of Sheffield, UK, has been recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for improving the lives of patients living with neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson’s.

The Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, which is based at the university, uses emerging developments in neuroscience to create innovative new approaches to treating brain conditions.

The prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize was awarded at St James’s Palace, London. The institute was commended for its development of Parkinson’s drug discovery programmes.

The honour is awarded to UK universities who exhibit groundbreaking and innovative approaches to research – with beneficial results at local, national and global levels.

Professor Koen Lamberts, president and vice-chancellor for the University of Sheffield, said: “As well as making life-changing discoveries today, The Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience is nurturing the next generation of talented neuroscience students, whose research will lead to pioneering treatments for those living with neurological diseases.”

New Parkinson’s health app to track symptoms more accurately

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Students develop wearable device to track Parkinson’s tremors

A wearable device has been developed to monitor Parkinson’s tremors and their severity through the tracking of body movements. The device – Tremor Tracker – was created by two students, Julie Gaudin and Elizabeth Hummel, at Louisiana Tech University, US, as part of a design class project. The students designed an algorithm using data recorded from volunteer participants at Rock Steady, a boxing programme for people with Parkinson’s. They then applied the algorithm to a GENEActiv, a wrist-worn device that has been scientifically validated for clinical research. Hummel, co-creator of the Tremor Tracker, said: “Through supervised machine learning, the device predicts whether a patient’s tremors are parkinsonian or non-parkinsonian, as well as the severity of these tremors. A quantitative analysis of parkinsonian tremors provides a more detailed disease state.”

Can awakening dormant neurons reverse Parkinson’s motor symptoms?

Reawakening dormant neurons could help reverse Parkinson’s motor symptoms, researchers in South Korea have found. While Parkinson’s is typically believed to be caused by neuronal death, a new study – published in ‘Current Biology’ journal – suggests that dormant neurons could be another cause. After completing an animal test – which treated the subjects with two compounds that block dopamine-producing neurons from becoming dormant – the researchers found these neurons to be “awakened”, allowing them to resume dopamine production. The researchers hope that this will lead to a disease-modifying treatment, especially for people in the early stages of Parkinson’s. Hoon Ryu, a senior author of the study and researcher at KIST Brain Science Institute, South Korea, said: “This research refutes the common belief that there is no disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s due to its basis on neuronal cell death.”

Parkinson’s could be present from birth, study finds

Parkinson’s may be present from birth in younger people with the condition, new research has found. The study – conducted by Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, US, and published in ‘Nature Medicine’ journal – used induced stem cells from people with young-onset Parkinson’s, to grow dopamine-producing neurons and observe them for early warning signs of the condition. An abnormal pile-up of protein was found during the neurons’ development, including alpha-synuclein; which occurs in Parkinson’s. The scientists conjecture that Parkinson’s symptoms appear when the pile-up continues over 20 or 30 years. The team also found that the drug PEP005 – currently used against skin precancers – could help treat the condition. Michele Tagliati, vice chair and professor at Cedars-Sinai’s Department of Neurology and the study’s co-author, said: “This exciting new research provides hope that one day we may be able to detect and take early action to prevent this disease in at-risk individuals.”…

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Queen Elizabeth II honours UK university for Parkinson’s research

News

Author: Roisin McCormackPublished: 5 December 2019

Prep: Cook: Serves:

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Lonnie Ali says her late husband Muhammad Ali “inspires her” every day

Interviews

Move to the beat: meet the Parkinson’s physio behind award-winning mobility app

PD in Practice

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Parkinson’s could be present from birth, study finds

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Queen Elizabeth II honours UK university for Parkinson’s research

News

Author: Roisin McCormackPublished: 5 December 2019

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

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Share this story

Comments

Related articles

Resources & Tools

Lonnie Ali says her late husband Muhammad Ali “inspires her” every day

Interviews

Move to the beat: meet the Parkinson’s physio behind award-winning mobility app

PD in Practice

Are you in a patient-style ‘rut’? How to talk so your doctor listens

Students develop wearable device to track Parkinson’s tremors

Can awakening dormant neurons reverse Parkinson’s motor symptoms?

Parkinson’s could be present from birth, study finds

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