Tagcloud

abortion, accupuncture, ACE inhibitors, acne, ADHD, alcohol, allergies, Alzheimer's, anaemia, anaethesia, anorexia, antibiotics, antidepressants, antihistamine, anxiety, appetite control, arthritis, ASCOT, aspirin, asthma, atherosclerosis, autism, autoantibodies, back pain, beta carotene, beta-blockers, bipolar disorder, birth, bleeding, blindness, blood pressure, body dysmorphic disorder, body mass, breast cancer, breast feeding, bronchitis, Caesarean section, calcium, cancer, carcinogens, carcinoma, cardiac syncope, cardiolgy, cataracts, cervical cancer, chemotherapy, child psychiatry, children, cholesterol, clinical trial, clopidogrel, Clostridium difficile, cognitive behavioural therapy, colectomy, colic, colorectal cancer, complementary and alternative therapies, contraception, COPD, coronary care, coronary stents, Crohn's, cystic fibrosis, defibrillator, dementia, depression, dermatology, diabetes management, diet, disability, DNA, Down's syndrome, eating disorders, echinacea, ECT, eczema, elderly people, endoscopy, epilepsy, erectile dysfunction, euthanasia, exercise, fat, fertility, fitness, flu pandemic, fluoxetine, folic acid, food labelling, fracture, fragile X syndrome, general surgery, genetics, gerontology, GIK infusion therapy, GORD, gout, haemodialysis, hearing, heart attack, heart disease, heart failure, heart health, hepatitis, HIV, hospital care, HPV, HRT, hyperglycaemia, hypertension, hypoglycaemia, IBD, ICU, incontinence, infant, infant mortality, infection, inflammatory bowel disease, influenza, invasive candidiasis, IQ, Irish Heart Foundation, irritable bowel syndrome, keyhole surgery, kidney disease, laser, learning difficulties, leukaemia, liver disease, lumbar disk herniation, lung cancer, lung disease, lymph nodes, macular degeneration, macular oedema, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), malaria, malnutrition, Marfan syndrome, media, medical ethics, medical research, medication, meningitis, mental illness, metabolic syndrome, migraine, miscarriage, mortality rate, MRSA, multiple sclerosis (MS), NCHDs, nephrology, neurology, OAB, obesity, obstetrics, occupational health, ocular medicine, omega-3, opthalmology, oral cancer, organ transplantation, orthopaedics, osteoporosis, otolaryngology, ovarian cancer, paediatrics, pain management, pancreatic cancer, panic, Parkinson’s disease, patient safety, patient-physician communication, personality disorders, physiotherapy, plastic surgery, polio, practice, pre-eclampsia, pregnancy, preventative health care, probiotics, prostate cancer, psoriasis, psychiatric admission, psychiatry, psychotherapy, PTSD, public health, quality of life, radiology, radiotherapy, rectal cancer, reproductive health, research, resuscitation, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatology, rhinitis, salt, SARS, schizophrenia, screening, seizures, self harm, sexual abuse, sexual health, sexually transmitted infections, SGA, sinusitis, skin cancer, sleep disorders, smoking, smoking ban, spinal injury, sports medicine, statins, stem cells, stress, stroke, substance abuse, suicide, supplement, surgery, syncope, technology, teenagers, testosterone, thoracic surgery, thrombosis, thyroid cancer, tonsillectomy, tonsillitis, Tourette's syndrome, toxicology, travel medicine, tuberculosis, tumour angiogenesis, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, ulcer, ulcerative colitis, urinary incontinence, vaccine, vitamins, weight, WHO, women's health, World Health Assembly

«Previous article | Next article»

Research aims to halt disease progression

Clinical Update: Parkinson's Disease - About 80 per cent of the neurotransmitter dopamine can be depleted from the affected region of the Parkinsonian brain before symptoms begin to develop. Thus, it is imperative that treatments be found to prevent further loss of dopa-mine-containing neurons to slow or halt the motor deterioration.

A group led by Dr Eilís Dowd, Lecturer in Pharmacology & Therapeutics, NUI Galway, is aiming to exploit the properties of ‘heat shock’ proteins present in all cells, which normally help them survive in time of stress.

The group is using a viral-based gene therapy approach to up-regulate these proteins in the diseased neurons, with the hope that this will prevent the movement disorder from progressing. As an alternative to viral gene therapy, the group is also investigating the use of stem cells extracted from bone marrow, as vehicles for delivery of growth factors to the dopaminergic neurons.

Dr Dowd is currently developing and validating novel pharmacological, cell and gene therapies for Parkinson’s disease — a condition that, despite decades of research and billions of invested funds, still awaits a treatment that extends beyond symptomatic control.

Levodopa is hampered by side effects that can manifest as dyskinesias. One of Dr Dowd’s aims is to harness the motor suppressant effects of cannabinoid-based drugs to limit these levodopa-induced dyskinetic movements, without affecting normal movement. If the side effects of levodopa therapy can be minimised, then the quality of life of Parkinsonian patients will be vastly improved.

In addition to this pharmacological approach, Dr Dowd is also investigating mechanisms to slow or halt the progression of the disease.

Posted in Mental Health & CNS on 05 February 2010
Tags: Parkinson’s disease

Tagcloud

abortion, accupuncture, ACE inhibitors, acne, ADHD, alcohol, allergies, Alzheimer's, anaemia, anaethesia, anorexia, antibiotics, antidepressants, antihistamine, anxiety, appetite control, arthritis, ASCOT, aspirin, asthma, atherosclerosis, autism, autoantibodies, back pain, beta carotene, beta-blockers, bipolar disorder, birth, bleeding, blindness, blood pressure, body dysmorphic disorder, body mass, breast cancer, breast feeding, bronchitis, Caesarean section, calcium, cancer, carcinogens, carcinoma, cardiac syncope, cardiolgy, cataracts, cervical cancer, chemotherapy, child psychiatry, children, cholesterol, clinical trial, clopidogrel, Clostridium difficile, cognitive behavioural therapy, colectomy, colic, colorectal cancer, complementary and alternative therapies, contraception, COPD, coronary care, coronary stents, Crohn's, cystic fibrosis, defibrillator, dementia, depression, dermatology, diabetes management, diet, disability, DNA, Down's syndrome, eating disorders, echinacea, ECT, eczema, elderly people, endoscopy, epilepsy, erectile dysfunction, euthanasia, exercise, fat, fertility, fitness, flu pandemic, fluoxetine, folic acid, food labelling, fracture, fragile X syndrome, general surgery, genetics, gerontology, GIK infusion therapy, GORD, gout, haemodialysis, hearing, heart attack, heart disease, heart failure, heart health, hepatitis, HIV, hospital care, HPV, HRT, hyperglycaemia, hypertension, hypoglycaemia, IBD, ICU, incontinence, infant, infant mortality, infection, inflammatory bowel disease, influenza, invasive candidiasis, IQ, Irish Heart Foundation, irritable bowel syndrome, keyhole surgery, kidney disease, laser, learning difficulties, leukaemia, liver disease, lumbar disk herniation, lung cancer, lung disease, lymph nodes, macular degeneration, macular oedema, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), malaria, malnutrition, Marfan syndrome, media, medical ethics, medical research, medication, meningitis, mental illness, metabolic syndrome, migraine, miscarriage, mortality rate, MRSA, multiple sclerosis (MS), NCHDs, nephrology, neurology, OAB, obesity, obstetrics, occupational health, ocular medicine, omega-3, opthalmology, oral cancer, organ transplantation, orthopaedics, osteoporosis, otolaryngology, ovarian cancer, paediatrics, pain management, pancreatic cancer, panic, Parkinson’s disease, patient safety, patient-physician communication, personality disorders, physiotherapy, plastic surgery, polio, practice, pre-eclampsia, pregnancy, preventative health care, probiotics, prostate cancer, psoriasis, psychiatric admission, psychiatry, psychotherapy, PTSD, public health, quality of life, radiology, radiotherapy, rectal cancer, reproductive health, research, resuscitation, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatology, rhinitis, salt, SARS, schizophrenia, screening, seizures, self harm, sexual abuse, sexual health, sexually transmitted infections, SGA, sinusitis, skin cancer, sleep disorders, smoking, smoking ban, spinal injury, sports medicine, statins, stem cells, stress, stroke, substance abuse, suicide, supplement, surgery, syncope, technology, teenagers, testosterone, thoracic surgery, thrombosis, thyroid cancer, tonsillectomy, tonsillitis, Tourette's syndrome, toxicology, travel medicine, tuberculosis, tumour angiogenesis, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, ulcer, ulcerative colitis, urinary incontinence, vaccine, vitamins, weight, WHO, women's health, World Health Assembly

«Previous article | Next article»

Research aims to halt disease progression

Clinical Update: Parkinson's Disease - About 80 per cent of the neurotransmitter dopamine can be depleted from the affected region of the Parkinsonian brain before symptoms begin to develop. Thus, it is imperative that treatments be found to prevent further loss of dopa-mine-containing neurons to slow or halt the motor deterioration.

A group led by Dr Eilís Dowd, Lecturer in Pharmacology & Therapeutics, NUI Galway, is aiming to exploit the properties of ‘heat shock’ proteins present in all cells, which normally help them survive in time of stress.

The group is using a viral-based gene therapy approach to up-regulate these proteins in the diseased neurons, with the hope that this will prevent the movement disorder from progressing. As an alternative to viral gene therapy, the group is also investigating the use of stem cells extracted from bone marrow, as vehicles for delivery of growth factors to the dopaminergic neurons.

Dr Dowd is currently developing and validating novel pharmacological, cell and gene therapies for Parkinson’s disease — a condition that, despite decades of research and billions of invested funds, still awaits a treatment that extends beyond symptomatic control.

Levodopa is hampered by side effects that can manifest as dyskinesias. One of Dr Dowd’s aims is to harness the motor suppressant effects of cannabinoid-based drugs to limit these levodopa-induced dyskinetic movements, without affecting normal movement. If the side effects of levodopa therapy can be minimised, then the quality of life of Parkinsonian patients will be vastly improved.

In addition to this pharmacological approach, Dr Dowd is also investigating mechanisms to slow or halt the progression of the disease.

Posted in Mental Health & CNS on 05 February 2010
Tags: Parkinson’s disease