Gene Therapy Tested For Parkinson's Patients
FDA Approves Small Clinical Trial
POSTED: 3:01 pm EDT October 10, 2002
WASHINGTON -- Researchers plan to try gene therapy to treat Parkinson's disease. The genes make a neurochemical. The scientists hope the chemical, GABA, will calm the tremors and other movement disorders of the devastating brain disorder.The Food and Drug Administration has given approval to begin testing the therapy in a small clinical trial. The chemical will be injected into the brains of 12 patients with severe Parkinson's disease who have not been helped by other treatments. The treatment is based on a lab rat study in the journal Science. Researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and at Cornell University in New York led the study.The study showed that transferring the brain chemical gene could improve symptoms and may slow progression of the disease. The researchers say the technique also has been tried in monkeys with encouraging results.
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