Cancer drug could provide immune therapy for Parkinson's disease sufferers

A new clinical trial is taking place to test a revolutionary drug treatment for Parkinson's disease. The Nebraska Neuroscience Alliance (NNA) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is set to begin its trial of Leukine. This drug is traditionally used by cancer patients to aid immune system recovery, but is now being tested for its suitability as an immune therapy for Parkinson's sufferers.

Parkinson's disease is caused by a lack of dopamine production due to the loss of the chemical producing neurons. Dopamine is vital towards maintaining balance and movement as it signals the nerves. It is estimated by the Parkinson's Disease Foundation that around four million people worldwide suffer from the debilitating disease. The loss of the neurons that produce dopamine is most likely to occur after the age of 60 - although early onset of Parkinson's does affect some people.

Degeneration is the cause of the loss of the dopamine-producing neurons. It is alterations in the protein alpha synuclein that is responsible for the initial neurodegeneration. The protein begins to clump and change shape, causing it to build up on the brain. The continued build-up triggers a response from the immune system, which starts to attack the protein. The immune system attempting to fight off the protein causes inflammation to the brain, which ultimately damages the nerve cells; removing their ability to produce dopamine.

According to Doctor Howard Gendelman, chair of the Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience department at UNMC and principal investigator of the study, the trial hopes to determine if Leukine could make the immune system protect the brain at the point of protein build-up, rather than attack it. The drug is also being tested to ascertain whether it could also encourage the immune system to repair the damage to the nerve cells to allow them to continue producing dopamine, which could help to abate the disease's symptoms.

A double blind trial is set to begin in the autumn and is due to continue for a year. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) imaging will be used to monitor 16 patients and find the exact areas of the brain that sustain damage due to the disease; as well as seeing if Leukine works as is hoped. More studies could result from positive results.