There's been a major milestone in the journey to find a cure for
Parkinson's Disease, which affects nearly one million Americans and 8 million
worldwide. A vaccine being tested that could stop the disease in its tracks.
NY1's Erin Billups filed the following report.
There's
good news for the nearly 60,000 Americans diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease
each year.
Austrian
biotech company AFFiRis AG announced positive results of a phase one safety
study for a vaccine that could slow or even stop the progression of
Parkinson's.
It
works by targeting a known genetic component of the disease, a protein called
alpha-synuclein.
"It's
been a pretty systematic effort since we started to find some of these genetic causes,
but we're now finally getting that first indication of maybe being able to
translate that understand into a potential therapy," says Todd Sherer, CEO
of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
The
Michael J. Fox foundation is helping to fund the trials, which at this point
are taking place in Europe with about 32 patients.
It's
still not clear what a-synuclein does in the brain but scientists have found
that when clumped together the protein becomes toxic.
The
vaccine mimics that clumped protein, activating the immune system.
"[The]
patients own immune system produces antibodies against this structure and these
antibodies then attack it and destroy it," says Dr. Achim Schneeberger,
Affiris Chief Medical Officer.
They
found a majority of the patients on the drug were producing the needed
antibodies to fight off the disease and there was a reduction of the toxic
protein.
"A
little bit more than half of the patients showed a stabilization in their
parameters," Schneeberger.
Meanwhile
the control group, participants who weren't given the vaccine, saw a steady
decline in their movement and coordination—common symptoms of the
neuro-degenerative Parkinson's Disease.
"It
looks like the people obviously who got the treatment did better off than those
who didn't. With all the caveats of it being a small initial study. But it's
pointing in the right direction to justify more research."
The
next step is to figure out the correct dosage. If successful the trials will
then move to phase two.
It
could take another six to eight years before we see approval from the Food and
Drug Administration the States.
For more information, go to foxtrialfinder.michaeljfox.org.
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