I found an interesting article about a new developement in a cure for Parkinsons disease. There is a new drug called GDNF, which is giving new hope for patients.
"Glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), is a natural growth agent needed by brain cells to produce dopamine, which is necessary to transmit impulses or messages to the body. A reduced concentration of dopamine in the brain is associated with Parkinson's disease.
GDNF has been shown to block the degeneration of nerve cells in animals bred to develop Parkinson's disease.
The protein has also shown promise as part of a gene therapy treatment for the illness. When scientists inserted the gene for GDNF inside a harmless virus and injected it into the brains of monkeys it made dopamine-producing cells work better." (Reeney, Patricia. New Drugs Give Hope to Parkinsons Patients. 2002. Online. Available:www.discovery.com/news/reu20020415/parkindrug.html)
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