Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Breakthough in stem cell research - three clones of cells from existing human embryonic stem cells

In an Australian first, UNSW researchers have developed three clones of cells from existing human embryonic stem cells. The breakthrough could lead to new treatments for conditions such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injury.

13 Apr 2005

Men who drink milk at more risk of Parkinsons disease

Korean University researchers say drinking a glass or two of milk a day may increase the risk of Parkinson's disease in middle-aged men, but the apparent link is unlikely to be due to milk's main nutritional ingredient, calcium.

7 Apr 2005

Why different tissues in the human body vary in their susceptibility to "amyloid" diseases

Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute are reporting the results of a recent study that addresses why different tissues in the human body vary in their susceptibility to "amyloid" diseases, which include Alzheimer's disease and a cluster of ailments called the familial amyloidoses.

7 Apr 2005

Contrary to common wisdom, sleeping pills may not increase fall risk

In nursing homes across the country, elderly people with insomnia often go untreated, because of the perception that sleeping pills increase the risk of falls and injuries that are a bane of old age.

6 Apr 2005

Cryoablation may be safer alternative for stopping abnormal electrical patterns

Freezing abnormal electrical pathways in the hearts of young patients may be a safer alternative to zapping them with powerful radiofrequency probes in order to treat tachycardias and other arrhythmias, according to a new study in the April 5, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

5 Apr 2005

Metabolic side effects of antipsychotics are known, but rarely monitored

Psychiatrists are doing a “modest” job of monitoring for weight gain, diabetes and other metabolic problems that may result from use of the newer antipsychotics for schizophrenia, researchers say.

5 Apr 2005

Potential therapeutic role for the ataxin-3 protein for Machado-Joseph disease

The repetition of three little "letters" within the gene that codes for the ataxin-3 protein is both the cause of and perhaps a solution to Machado-Joseph disease and an entire family of similar genetic disorders, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.

3 Apr 2005

Gene variations explain drug dose required to control seizures

Determining which variants of particular genes patients with epilepsy carry might enable doctors to better predict the dose of drugs necessary to control their seizures, suggest basic findings by researchers at the Duke University Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy (IGSP) and the University College London.

28 Mar 2005

UK leads race to produce world’s first clinical grade stem cells

The University of Sheffield has received a £2.6m grant to create some of the world’s first embryonic stem cell lines that can be used for medicinal purposes.

16 Mar 2005

New computer mouse adapter that enables people who suffer from hand tremors to eliminate excessive cursor movement

IBM have announced its researchers have invented a new computer mouse adapter that enables people who suffer from hand tremors to eliminate excessive cursor movement, thereby allowing more normal use of a personal computer.

16 Mar 2005

T’ai Chi has many benefits for frail older adults

It’s no longer an ancient Chinese secret. A University of Missouri-Columbia researcher is putting a new spin on an old exercise and the outcome has many benefits for frail older adults.

15 Mar 2005

Molecule called DJ-1 is likely to be involved in the generation of human tumors

Scientists have discovered that a molecule called DJ-1 is likely to be involved in the generation of human tumors through negative regulation of the well-known tumor suppressor, PTEN. The research, published in the March issue of Cancer Cell, has important implications for determining the prognosis of some human cancers, and may prove to be a suitable target for cancer therapy.

14 Mar 2005

High-dose radiation and bone marrow transfer treatments on glaucoma-susceptible mice completely blocked development of glaucoma

In a discovery that could point to new treatments for a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases, Jackson Laboratory researchers have found that high-dose radiation and bone marrow transfer treatments on glaucoma-susceptible mice completely blocked the development of glaucoma, by preventing neurodegeneration.

14 Mar 2005

RNA interference as promising therapy for ALS

Scientists at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have used RNA interference in transgenic mice to silence a mutated gene that causes inherited cases of amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), substantially delaying both the onset and the progression rate of the fatal motor neuron disease.

13 Mar 2005

UK will vote against the declaration on human cloning

The UN declaration is non-binding and has no legal status, but it calls on countries to prohibit all forms of human cloning. This is totally unacceptable to the UK government which strongly supports stem cell research, including embryonic stem cell research which involves the use of cloning technology.

8 Mar 2005

Cure for heart disease very close despite poor funding

Doctors at Barts and The London NHS Trust are hoping a four-year research programme in stem cell research will bring them closer to finding a miracle cure for heart disease, but are struggling to raise the money. The programme will involve 600 patients.

7 Mar 2005

Australian biotech, Bionomics acquires central nervous system (CNS) business

Exciting Australian biotech, Bionomics has announced that it has completed the acquisition of the French central nervous system (CNS) business, Neurofit.

6 Mar 2005

Clearance of beta amyloid accumulation within neurons stops memory decline

Researchers at UC Irvine have identified a trigger at the molecular level that marks the onset of memory decline in mice genetically engineered to develop brain lesions – in the form of plaques and tangles – associated with Alzheimer's disease.

6 Mar 2005

Deep brain stimulation alleviates severe depression

Canadian researchers have found that severe depression, which is often unresponsive to standard treatments, may be alleviated with an experimental treatment called deep brain stimulation.

3 Mar 2005

Dopamine sheds new light on drug addiction

A paper published in the current issue of Science has challenged beliefs about the role of dopamine in the brain, which could lead to new treatments for Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia and drug addiction. The research suggests that dopamine has a far wider, less specialised role than previously hypothesised.

3 Mar 2005