Scientists studying Parkinson's
disease have made a breakthrough
Scientists have
developed a peptide which sticks to the protein that causes Parkinson's disease
- preventing it from killing brain cells.
The research, led
by the University of Bath, highlights a potential new route for slowing the
progress of the incurable disease, which affects around one in 1,500 people in
the UK.
Parkinson's is a
progressive neurological condition where brain cells die, causing a lack of the
chemical dopamine, which acts a messenger to coordinate movement.
In patients with
Parkinson's, a protein called a-synuclein becomes misshapen and stacks together
to form long, toxic fibrils which kill the brain cells.
A team of scientists,
with funding from Parkinson's UK, designed a peptide that binds to the faulty
a-synuclein and prevents fibrils from forming.
Their research,
published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, shows that the peptide halts
the formation of fibrils in cells in vitro and stops them from dying.
The team believes
that if the peptide were to be developed into a treatment it could help slow
the progression of the degenerative disease.
Dr Jody Mason,
from the university's department of biology and biochemistry, said: "In
Parkinson's, the protein called a-synuclein changes shape and stacks with other
misshapen proteins.
"We've
discovered a peptide that binds to the sticky part of the a-synuclein and
covers it up, which stops the fibril growing.
"If you think
of the misshapen a-synuclein proteins as Lego bricks which stack to form a
tower; our peptide acts like a smooth brick that sticks to the a-synuclein and
stops the tower from growing any bigger.
"This
research is in the early stages, but the results so far are very encouraging.
We still need to overcome many obstacles before this can be developed into a
drug treatment, but these findings could herald a new approach to treating
Parkinson's."
Dr Neil Kad, from
the University of Kent, a co-author on the study, added: "This Parkinson's
UK funded work shows how investment in basic science can open up new ways of
studying and ultimately treating neurodegenerative disease."
The researchers
developed the 10 amino-acid peptide by screening a library of peptides based on
the region of a-synuclein that is mutated in patients with early onset
Parkinson's.
It is the first
time this part of the a-synuclein protein has been explored as a potential drug
target.
Dr Arthur Roach,
director of research and development at Parkinson's UK, said: " It's a
difficult task to develop treatments that can stop the toxic build-up of
proteins in the brains of people with Parkinson's. Supporting this kind of
innovative research approach is starting to make imaginable today what seemed
impossible a decade ago.
"We need more
successes, like this one, if we are to develop drugs that could actually slow
or stop the progression of Parkinson's. At the moment no drugs are capable of
doing this."
The researchers
hope to test the peptide in mammalian neurone cells and then develop it into a
drug that is effective in humans.
"Intracellular
screening of a peptide library to derive a potent peptide inhibitor of
a-synuclein aggregation" is published online in the Journal of Biological
Chemistry.
http://health.einnews.com/article/251887332/EUN2Dwm7H3oBKjsv
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