Juan Sanchez-Ramos, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Parkinson Research Foundation Dr. Juan Sanchez-Ramos is Professor of Neurology at the University of South Florida in Tampa where he holds the Helen Ellis Endowed Chair for Parkinson's disease Research and is the Chair for this 5th Annual PRF Parkinson's Disease Conference.
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Parkinson's Disease: Diagnosis, Causes and Treatment.
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nearly a million people in the United States. The symptoms include tremors, slow movement, muscle rigidity and less facial expression
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Parkinson's Disease: Progress and Promise in Stem Cell Research - Video
Washington, July 5 : Researchers have taken a major step in drug research for Parkinson's disease, by investigating signs of the disease in patient-derived cells and testing how the cells respond to drug treatments.
The researchers collected skin cells from patients with genetically inherited forms of Parkinson's and reprogrammed those cells into neurons. They found that neurons derived from individuals with distinct types of Parkinson's showed common signs of distress and vulnerability - in particular, abnormalities in the cellular energy factories known as mitochondria.
At the same time, the cells' responses to different treatments depended on the type of Parkinson's each patient had.
"These findings suggest new opportunities for clinical trials of Parkinson's disease, in which cell reprogramming technology could be used to identify the patients most likely to respond to a particular intervention," said Margaret Sutherland, Ph.D., a program director at NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
The study was conducted by a consortium of researchers led by Ole Isacson, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of neurology at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston with primary funding from NINDS.
The NINDS consortium's first goal was to transform the patients' skin cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are adult cells that have been reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells. The consortium researchers then used a combination of growth conditions and growth-stimulating molecules to coax these iPS cells into becoming neurons, including the type that die in Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease affects a number of brain regions, including a motor control area of the brain called the substantia nigra. There, it destroys neurons that produce the chemical dopamine. Loss of these neurons leads to involuntary shaking, slowed movements, muscle stiffness and other symptoms. Medications can help manage the symptoms, but there is no treatment to slow or stop the disease.
Most cases of Parkinson's are sporadic, meaning that the cause is unknown. However, genetics plays a strong role. There are 17 regions of the genome with common variations that affect the risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Researchers have also identified nine genes that, when mutated, can cause the disease.
Dr. Isacson and his collaborators derived iPS cells from five people with genetic forms of Parkinson's disease. By focusing on genetic cases, rather than sporadic cases, they hoped they would have a better chance of seeing patterns in the disease process and in treatment responses. Three of the individuals had mutations in a gene called LRRK2, and two others were siblings who had mutations in the gene PINK1. The researchers also derived iPS cells from two of the siblings' family members who did not have Parkinson's or any known mutations linked to it.
Because prior studies have suggested that Parkinson's disease involves a breakdown of mitochondrial function, the researchers looked for signs of impaired mitochondria in patient-derived neurons. Mitochondria turn oxygen and glucose into cellular energy.
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Patient-derived stem cells may improve treatments for Parkinson's
Columbus Dispatch Outs "The Terrible Teabagger": bit.ly COLUMBUS - In a scene reminiscent of non-violent civil rights confrontations from the 1960s, Ohio Tea Partiers quickly turned ugly when facing off with health care advocates in front of Ohio Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy's office Tuesday. In shocking video taken by a Columbus Dispatch reporter Doral Chenowith yesterday, Tea Party protestors mock a seated counter-protestor with a sign indicating he has Parkinson's disease
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Tea Partiers Mock And Scorn Apparent Parkinson's Victim
Information About Parkinson's Disease From A Parkinson's Disease Patient
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What Is Parkinson's Disease
ScienceDaily (June 29, 2012) A recent study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) revealed that the FOXO1 gene may play an important role in the pathological mechanisms of Parkinson's disease.
These findings are published online in PLoS Genetics, a peer-reviewed open-access journal published by the Public Library of Science.
The study was led by Alexandra Dumitriu, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in the department of neurology at BUSM. Richard Myers, PhD, professor of neurology at BUSM, is the study's senior author.
According to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year and approximately one million Americans are currently living with the disease.
Parkinson's disease is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a buildup of proteins in nerve cells that lead to their inability to communicate with one another, causing motor function issues, including tremors and slowness in movement, as well as dementia. The substantia nigra is an area of the midbrain that helps control movement, and previous research has shown that this area of the brain loses neurons as Parkinson's disease progresses.
The researchers analyzed gene expression differences in brain tissue between 27 samples with known Parkinson's disease and 26 samples from neurologically healthy controls. This data set represents the largest number of brain samples used in a whole-genome expression study of Parkinson's disease to date. The novel aspect of this study is represented by the researchers' emphasis on removing possible sources of variation by minimizing the differences among samples. They used only male brain tissue samples that showed no significant marks of Alzheimer's disease pathology, one of the frequently co-occurring neurological diseases in Parkinson's disease patients. The samples also had similar tissue quality and were from the brain's prefrontal cortex, one of the less studied areas for the disease. The prefrontal cortex does not show neuronal death to the same extent as the substantia nigra, although it displays molecular and pathological modifications during the disease process, while also being responsible for the dementia present in a large proportion of Parkinson's disease patients.
Results of the expression experiment showed that the gene FOXO1 had increased expression in the brain tissue samples with known Parkinson's disease. FOXO1 is a transcriptional regulator that can modify the expression of other genes. Further examination of the FOXO1 gene showed that two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), or DNA sequence variations, were significantly associated with age at onset of Parkinson's disease.
"Our hypothesis is that FOXO1 acts in a protective manner by activating genes and pathways that fight the neurodegeneration processes," said Dumitriu. "If this is correct, there could be potential to explore FOXO1 as a therapeutic drug target for Parkinson's disease."
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FOXO1 gene may play important role in Parkinson's disease
Washington, D.C. - infoZine - Researchers have taken a step toward personalized medicine for Parkinson's disease, by investigating signs of the disease in patient-derived cells and testing how the cells respond to drug treatments. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
The researchers collected skin cells from patients with genetically inherited forms of Parkinson's and reprogrammed those cells into neurons. They found that neurons derived from individuals with distinct types of Parkinson's showed common signs of distress and vulnerability -- in particular, abnormalities in the cellular energy factories known as mitochondria. At the same time, the cells' responses to different treatments depended on the type of Parkinson's each patient had.
The results were published in Science Translational Medicine.
"These findings suggest new opportunities for clinical trials of Parkinson's disease, in which cell reprogramming technology could be used to identify the patients most likely to respond to a particular intervention," said Margaret Sutherland, Ph.D., a program director at NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
A consortium of researchers conducted the study with primary funding from NINDS. The consortium is led by Ole Isacson, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of neurology at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
The NINDS consortium's first goal was to transform the patients' skin cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are adult cells that have been reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells. The consortium researchers then used a combination of growth conditions and growth-stimulating molecules to coax these iPS cells into becoming neurons, including the type that die in Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease affects a number of brain regions, including a motor control area of the brain called the substantia nigra. There, it destroys neurons that produce the chemical dopamine. Loss of these neurons leads to involuntary shaking, slowed movements, muscle stiffness and other symptoms. Medications can help manage the symptoms, but there is no treatment to slow or stop the disease.
Most cases of Parkinson's are sporadic, meaning that the cause is unknown. However, genetics plays a strong role. There are 17 regions of the genome with common variations that affect the risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Researchers have also identified nine genes that, when mutated, can cause the disease.
Dr. Isacson and his collaborators derived iPS cells from five people with genetic forms of Parkinson's disease. By focusing on genetic cases, rather than sporadic cases, they hoped they would have a better chance of seeing patterns in the disease process and in treatment responses. Three of the individuals had mutations in a gene called LRRK2, and two others were siblings who had mutations in the gene PINK1. The researchers also derived iPS cells from two of the siblings' family members who did not have Parkinson's or any known mutations linked to it.
Because prior studies have suggested that Parkinson's disease involves a breakdown of mitochondrial function, the researchers looked for signs of impaired mitochondria in patient-derived neurons. Mitochondria turn oxygen and glucose into cellular energy. The researchers found that oxygen consumption rates were lower in patient cells with LRRK2 mutations, and higher in cells with the PINK1 mutation. In PINK1 mutant cells, the researchers also found increased vulnerability to oxidative stress, a damaging process that in theory can be counteracted with antioxidants.
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Personalized Medicine for Parkinson's Disease
JUPITER, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Envoy Therapeutics, Inc., a drug discovery company, today announced that it has been awarded a second grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF). The additional funding will enable the continued development of compounds that selectively act on the motor circuitry that is compromised in Parkinsons disease (PD) via modulation of a receptor target identified by Envoy. Further validation of the functional role of this biological target is intended to pave the way for the progression of compounds through preclinical development and eventually to improved treatment options for PD patients.
The objective of the MJFF-funded project is to develop an oral therapeutic that provides the symptomatic benefit of dopamine replacement therapy but with sustained efficacy and with minimal acute and long-term side effects. The therapeutic benefit of dopamine precursor L-DOPA (the current gold standard in treating PD) is hampered by serious side effects, including dyskinesia, compulsive behaviors and somnolence. Envoy Therapeutics bacTRAP technology enables the identification of new drug targets selectively expressed in brain circuits of therapeutic interest, thereby minimizing activity in circuits that may trigger unwanted side effects. Envoy has identified novel small molecule compounds that selectively engage the target of interest. Compounds have been optimized for potency, pharmacokinetic properties and central nervous system (CNS) penetration, and have shown efficacy in a PD model. With this funding, lead compounds will now be used to further validate the target hypothesis in more definitive in vivo models. Successful target validation will position the program to advance into safety assessment studies in readiness for clinical development.
Levodopa is still the standard of care for people with Parkinsons, but the side effects of levodopa treatment remain one of the most challenging aspects of living day to day with the disease. For this reason, developing improved symptomatic treatments that limit dyskinesia is a priority for our Foundation, said Todd Sherer, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of MJFF. We are hopeful that Envoys ongoing work to this end will lead to improved treatment for patients.
We are thrilled to expand our collaboration with the team at The Michael J. Fox Foundation, and to advance closer to safety studies and clinical development on a compound to effectively modulate the highly selective target we have discovered with our bacTRAP technology, added Steve Hitchcock, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery at Envoy. Successful completion of this next phase will move us another significant step forward toward human clinical development.
About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research
As the worlds largest private funder of Parkinsons research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinsons disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinsons patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers. In addition to funding over $289 million in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinsons research, the Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; increases Parkinsons awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world.
For more information, visit: http://www.michaeljfox.org ; http://www.facebook.com/michaeljfoxfoundation
About Envoy Therapeutics
Envoy Therapeutics mission is to discover new drugs with superior efficacy and fewer side effects than existing treatments. The companys bacTRAP technology enables the identification of proteins in vivo that are produced by specific cell types without requiring the isolation of those cells. The technology is especially powerful in tissues of the brain, where many hundreds of cell types are intermingled. Because therapeutically modulating the activity of a specific cell type has until now been prevented by the inability to determine which proteins are uniquely expressed by that cell type, Envoy brings a new day in drug discovery.
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Michael J. Fox Foundation Expands Funding to Envoy
AMSTERDAM, June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
uniQure, a leader in the field of human gene therapy, announced today the signing of a collaborative agreement with two leading neurology experts to develop further a gene therapy incorporating uniQure's GDNF (glial cell derived neurotrophic factor) gene for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
Professor Krystof Bankiewicz at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a world expert in GDNF gene therapy, and Professor Howard Federoff of Georgetown University, a preeminent physician-neuroscientist, have developed a product approved to start clinical trials in the U.S. using uniQure's GDNF gene incorporated into an adeno-associated virus-2 (AAV-2) delivery vector. The GDNF gene contains the information to produce a protein necessary for the development and survival of nerve cells. The positive effect of GDNF on nerve cells has already been demonstrated in early research by uniQure in collaboration with the University of Lund, Sweden.
UCSF entered into a collaboration with Dr. Russell Lonser, neurosurgeon and Chief of the Neurosurgical Branch of the NINDS, a division of the National Institutes of Health, to commence a Phase I study of the gene therapy in patients with Parkinson's disease. Patient enrollment is expected to begin mid-2012. Collaborating on the study will be Drs. Krystof Bankiewicz of UCSF, Howard Federoff of Georgetown University and NINDS co-investigator neurologists Drs. Mark Hallett and Walter Koroshetz.
"This agreement provides uniQure with access to the data from a Parkinson's disease GDNF clinical study conducted by two of the world's leading medical researchers in the field. If successful, we intend to manufacture the vector construct ourselves and with a partner progress the product into advanced clinical studies," said Jrn Aldag, CEO of uniQure. "GDNF has been shown to be involved in several other CNS disorders so if we reach the proof of concept stage in Parkinson's, we can potentially expand product development quickly and efficiently into clinical trials for other indications, such as Huntington's and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)."
"The development of AAV2-GDNF, sponsored by both NIH and by Parkinson's foundations, has taken us 10 years to complete. We are very pleased that a path for clinical development of AAV2-GDNF as a possible treatment for PD is now in place," said Dr. Krystof Bankiewicz, UCSF Principal Investigator.
Under the terms of uniQure's agreement with UCSF, uniQure holds the exclusive commercial rights to all UCSF preclinical data and to IND enabling Phase I clinical data provided to UCSF by NINDS. In the event that the Phase 1 study shows proof of concept, uniQure will use its proprietary manufacturing system for future production of the AAV construct and take responsibility for future development of the gene therapy product. uniQure holds the exclusive license to the GDNF gene from Amgen.
About uniQure
uniQure is a world leader in the development of human gene based therapies. uniQure has a product pipeline of gene therapy products in development for hemophilia B, acute intermittent porphyria, Parkinson's disease and SanfilippoB. Using adeno-associated viral (AAV) derived vectors as the delivery vehicle of choice for therapeutic genes, the company has been able to design and validate probably the world's first stable and scalable AAV manufacturing platform. This proprietary platform can be applied to a large number of rare (orphan) diseases caused by one faulty gene and allows uniQure to pursue its strategy of focusing on this sector of the industry. Further information can be found at http://www.uniqure.com.
Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" including those that refer to management's plans and expectations for future operations, prospects and financial condition. Words such as "strategy," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "will," "continues," "estimates," "intends," "projects," "goals," "targets" and other words of similar meaning are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the current expectations of the management of uniQure only. Undue reliance should not be placed on these statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and can be affected by factors that are beyond the control of uniQure. Actual results could differ materially from current expectations due to a number of factors and uncertainties affecting uniQure's business. uniQure expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements herein except as required by law.
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uniQure Collaborates with UCSF on GDNF Gene Therapy in Parkinson's Disease
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Patients with Parkinsons disease who undergo deep brain stimulation (DBS)a treatment in which a pacemaker-like device sends pulses to electrodes implanted in the braincan expect stable improvement in muscle symptoms for at least three years, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs study appearing in the most recent issue of the journal Neurology.
VA was proud to partner with the National Institutes of Health in this research, said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. Our research on Parkinsons helps ensure we continue to provide the best care possible for Veterans with this debilitating disease.
VA cares for some 40,000 Veterans with the condition.
In DBS, surgeons implant electrodes in the brain and run thin wires under the skin to a pacemaker-like device placed at one of two locations in the brain. Electrical pulses from the battery-operated device jam the brain signals that cause muscle-related symptoms. Thousands of Americans have seen successful results from the procedure since it was first introduced in the late 1990s. But questions have remained about which stimulation site in the brain yields better outcomes, and over how many years the gains persist.
Initial results from the study appeared in 2009 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Based on the six-month outcomes of 255 patients, the researchers concluded that DBS is riskier than carefully managed drug therapybecause of the possibility of surgery complicationsbut may hold significant benefits for those with Parkinsons who no longer respond well to medication alone.
A follow-up report in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010, using data from 24 months of follow-up, showed that similar results could be obtained from either of the two brain sites targeted in DBS.
The new report is based on 36 months of follow-up on 159 patients from the original group. It extends the previous findings: DBS produced marked improvements in motor (movement-related) function. The gains lasted over three years and did not differ by brain site.
Patients, on average, gained four to five hours a day free of troubling motor symptoms such as shaking, slowed movement, or stiffness. The effects were greatest at six months and leveled off slightly by three years.
According to VA Chief Research and Development Officer Joel Kupersmith, MD, This rigorously conducted clinical trial offers valuable guidance for doctors and patients in VA and throughout the world. As our Veteran population and the general U.S. population grow older, this research and future studies on Parkinsons will play an important role in helping us optimize care.
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Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Offers Improvements in Symptoms Over Three Years
SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Amarantus BioSciences, Inc. (AMBS.OB), a biotechnology company developing the MANF Program for Parkinson's Disease and other brain disorders, today released a letter from President & CEO Gerald E. Commissiong to its shareholders:
OUR MISSION
Healing Patients For those among us who operate in this volatile, uncertain and challenging field of development-stage biotechnology, it is critical that healing patients always remains the top priority in each challenge we face. From the moment I took the helm as Chief Executive of Amarantus BioSciences, Inc. ("Amarantus", "Company", "we", or "us"), healing patients with Parkinson's disease has been front and center of my mission. In order to successfully translate the remarkable scientific advances our researchers and collaborators are making in the lab into F.D.A approved products improving lives throughout the world, we must also take into consideration another key stakeholder that supports the development and commercialization of new products in the healthcare system - the shareholder. Over the course of the last fifteen years, the many different companies that have brought revolutionary life-saving treatments to market for oncology patients worldwide, together, have definitively established that improvements in the understanding of molecular biology in the lab can lead to tremendous advances in treating deadly diseases in patients all the while leading to significant returns for shareholders. I believe the dawn of a similar era is now at hand in the development of new treatments for nervous-system disorders and at the forefront of this period are advances in molecular neuroscience centered on neurotrophic factors and astrocytes. Armed with our PhenoGuard astrocyte cell lines (which led to the discovery of the neurotrophic factor MANF), and our proprietary Parkinson's cell culture (which was crucial to Teva Pharmaceuticals' development of Rasagiline), we believe Amarantus is poised to bring forward exciting new treatments for Parkinson's centered on our flagship MANF Program. These treatments could improve the livelihood of millions of patients who suffer from brain disorders such as Parkinson's disease while hopefully returning significant value to Amarantus shareholders.
OUR HISTORY
Amarantus was founded to develop new treatments for brain-related conditions based on technology that was originally conceived at the US Government's National Institutes of Health. Shortly after our incorporation in January 2008, we acquired certain key intellectual property pioneered by our scientific founder enabling our flagship MANF Program to develop new experimental treatments for Parkinson's disease and other nervous-system disorders. Independent researchers in Europe, Asia and North America, as well as Company scientists and collaborators, have worked tirelessly towards validating this approach and characterizing the full potential of the MANF Program by translating it towards the development of new treatments for an increasing number of apoptosis-mediated disorders. Our strategy going forward will be to continue to build strong relationships with the key stakeholders within academia, not-for-profit organizations, governments, reimbursement agencies, and industry necessary to optimize our development programs for maximum impact on the global healthcare system.
GOING PUBLIC
In May of 2011, we transformed from an angel-funded private company into a publicly-traded company by way of a reverse merger. At that time, we believed becoming a public company would significantly advance our corporate development efforts by leveraging the liquidity provided by our new public equity to raise capital and advance our core programs, all the while allowing us to acquire complementary technologies to create additional product offerings around our MANF Program. Shortly after trading in our shares began in June of 2011, market conditions were adversely impacted by a crisis of U.S. Sovereign Debt that was precipitated by political gridlock in Congress and cemented by a downgrade of U.S. debt by the debt rating agency Standard & Poor's. In November of 2011, in response to market turmoil caused primarily by certain U.S.-listed Chinese companies fraudulently deceiving investors, the S.E.C. made the regulations for companies that had recently completed reverse mergers significantly more stringent, possibly creating a negative perception of 'reverse merger' companies. These events, which were completely outside of our control, made developing broad investor interest in an early-stage biotechnology company with limited trading history such as ours significantly more challenging than originally anticipated. Despite these challenges of the last year, we were able to raise sufficient capital to fund our core programs with a small group of investors who believed in our technology's potential. Going forward, we are hopeful to raise capital in more efficient ways from a broader group of investors and believe that the new regulations surrounding the crowdfunding portion of the J.O.B.S. bill recently signed into law could have a significant positive impact on our fundraising endeavors. In order to position ourselves to excel in this emergent fundraising environment for public companies, management of Amarantus intends to engage more directly with investors over the course of the next several months to increase awareness of our programs and gain broader acceptance of our business plan from the global investment community.
CORPORATE DEVELOPMENTS
On May 30, 2011, we entered into a letter agreements regarding Intellectual Properties Licensing and Collaboration Arrangements with Generex Biotechnology Corporation ("Generex", OTCBB: GNBT). Under the letter agreements, Generex will grant to us a non-exclusive worldwide license for the clinical and regulatory development and commercialization of our programs in combination with the Generex Technologies, excluding the field of diabetes treatment. We are continuing to work towards completing that transaction as we believe there is significant value in combining their RapidMist technology with our current and future pipeline. In January of this year, we entered into a licensing agreement with Power3 Medical Products, Inc. ("Power3", OTCBB: PWRM)) to acquire certain rights to a blood test capable of reliably diagnosing patients who have Parkinson's disease in order to develop a revenue generating product that would further enable our lead Parkinson's treatment program. On March 15, 2012, Power3 declared bankruptcy and we are currently working with the bankruptcy trustee to assess our rights and options relating to the license and the related intellectual property. Our intent is to acquire outright the assets relevant to our MANF Program and fund their further development. Most recently, on April 30th, 2012 we executed a letter of intent with Rainbow Biosciences ("Rainbow", OTCBB: RBCC) to provide funding towards one or more of our Parkinson's programs within 60 days. We are working with Rainbow to determine which program is most suitable for the contemplated funding and what the best structure of the collaboration would be for both parties. We will continue to inform the marketplace on the progress of these transactions and how they relate to the overall business of developing our MANF Program to deliver new treatments to patients.
MILESTONES
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Amarantus BioSciences Issues First Annual CEO Letter to Shareholders
Jillian Courcy (Photo by Carl Stevens)
DIGHTON (CBS) -Jillian Courcy of Dighton had just given birth to her second son when she started experiencing hand tremors and slurred speech at the age of 34.
She had Parkinsons disease.
I was diagnosed in 2006, late 2006 into 2007, she told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.
All of sudden, Jillians world was turned upside down.
I couldnt make pancakes. I couldnt stand up. I was having a hard time thinking, these are the dreams I have, I should be able to make dinners for my family, mow the lawn, do different things around the house that I used to be able to do that I cant do so well as much any more, like gardening. I used to love being able to garden. But to grab things with my hands, the fine motor movements, its not easy for me to do those things any more, Courcy said.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030s Carl Stevens reports
But then, last month, at Rhode Island Hospital, she underwent surgery. Its a relatively new procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation, also known as DBS.
It has probes that go into it, like little conductors on it, that go into the back of the brain. They place these two little probes into your brain, she said.
The probes in the brain receive an electric stimulus from a device implanted in her neck, a device which Jillian controls with a small remote.
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Device ‘Programs’ Relief For Dighton Woman With Parkinson’s Disease
MOUNT OLIVE TWP. - A Flanders man who is battling Parkinson's disease will run in a New York City race to raise funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
The man, John Ryan, will run in the NYC Half Marathon on Sunday, March 18, for Team Fox. He hopes to raise $5,000 or more to enable the foundation to continue funding research to find better treatments and a cure for Parkinson's disease, a statement said.
Ryan is an active member and mentor for Team Fox, the foundation's project for supporting grassroots community fundraisers to expand awareness and for Parkinson's research.
"My awareness to Parkinson's disease came about two years ago when I was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's Disease in August 2010," Ryan said. "As I was soon to find out, Parkinson's is a chronic and progressive disease for which there is no cure at this point. I realized early on that I had to become pro-active to raise awareness and funds for research before this progresses for myself and the million others diagnosed with Parkinson's."
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Flanders man races against Parkinson’s
13-02-2012 09:45 For more about movement disorders like Parkinson's, and how you can help, please visit: http://www.tgwhf.ca
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Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease - Video
26-01-2012 02:51 Get the facts on Parkinson's Disease with this 100%-accurate animated video. Part of Focus Apps' Understanding Disease: Neurology series, the Parkinson's Disease app demonstrates this progressive neurological disorder, which is characterized by tremors, debilitated muscular coordination, weakness, and posture instability. Parkinson's disease is caused by a degeneration of dopamine cells in the movement-control centers of the brain. Explore its causes, classical symptoms, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment. http://www.focusappsstore.net
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Parkinson's Disease (Understanding Disease: Neurology) - Video
18-01-2012 16:46 Famed boxing coach and trainer to Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and others - the inimitable Freddie Roach - talks to SB Nation (www.sbnation.com) in this interview about his new HBO miniseries 'On Freddie Roach'. Roach talks about dealing with his Parkinson's, becoming famous, life at Wild Card Gym, how his relationship with his father pushed him into boxing and much more. For more http://www.twitter.com thelukethomas.tumblr.com
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Boxing: Freddie Roach on HBO TV Show, Parkinson's Disease, Being Famous - Video
Article posted: 2/27/2012 6:00 AM
The ancient Chinese exercise tai chi, shown here at the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene, Ore., improved balance and lowered the risk of falls in a study of people with Parkinson?s disease.
Courtesy of the Oregon Research Institute
NEW YORK — The ancient Chinese exercise of tai chi improved balance and lowered the risk of falls in a study of people with Parkinson?s disease.
Symptoms of the brain disorder include tremors and stiff, jerky movements that can affect walking and other activities. Medications and surgery can help, and doctors often recommend exercise or physical therapy.
Tai chi, with its slow, graceful movements, has been shown to improve strength and aid stability in older people, and has been studied for a number of ailments. In the latest study, led by Fuzhong Li of the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene, tai chi was tested in 195 people with mild-to-moderate Parkinson?s.
The participants attended twice-weekly group classes of either tai chi or two other kinds of exercise — stretching and resistance training, which included steps and lunges with ankle weights and a weighted vest.
The tai chi routine was tailored for the Parkinson?s patients, with a focus on ?swing and sway? motions and weight-shifting, said Li, who practices tai chi and teaches instructors.
After six months of classes, the tai chi group did significantly better than the stretching group in tests of balance, control, walking and other measures. Compared with resistance training, the tai chi group did better in balance, control and stride, and about the same in other tests.
Tai chi training was better than stretching in reducing falls, and as effective as resistance training, the researchers reported. The improvements in the tai chi group continued during three months of follow-up.
Li said the study showed tai chi was safe. It?s easy to learn, and there?s no special equipment, he added.
?People are looking for alternative programs, and this could be one of them,? he said.
Estimates vary, but at least 500,000 people in the United States have Parkinson?s.
The findings appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study was paid for by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Dr. Chenchen Wang, who is studying tai chi for arthritis and fibromyalgia, said the results of the Parkinson?s research were ?dramatic and impressive.? She heads the Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.
One of the study?s strengths: Researchers could measure the results directly instead of relying on the patients? own reports, she said. But a placebo effect can?t be totally discounted, she said, since the participants knew which exercise program they were assigned and that could have influenced results.
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Tai chi may help ease Parkinson's symptoms
By Michelle Clement | February 24, 2012 |
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23andMe are offering free lifetime access to their personal genome service to people who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease for their participation in their Parkinson’s disease research initiative.
Below is a promotional video for the project that highlights Muhammad Ali’s struggle with Parkinson’s disease and his participation in 23andMe’s research program. If you or someone you know has Parkinson’s disease, watch the video, check out the website, and explore your options for participation.
About the Author: Michelle Clement has a B.Sc. in zoology and a M.Sc. in organismal biology, both from The Ohio State University. Her thesis research was on the ecophysiology of epidermal lipids and water homeostasis in house sparrows. She now works as a technical editor for The American Chemical Society. Like this blog on Facebook. Follow on Twitter @physilology.
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The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
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Parkinson's disease patients get free lifetime access to 23andMe personal genome service.
By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on February 24, 2012
New research suggests administration of dopamine can uncover latent creative talents among some individuals with Parkinson’s disease.
European scientists discovered Parkinson’s disease patients can suddenly become creative when they take dopamine therapy, producing pictures, sculptures, novels and poetry. However, the extreme focus on the new interests may limit performance of normal daily tasks and social activities.
In the study, Italian researchers studied 36 patients with Parkinson’s disease — 18 with increased artistic production and 18 without — and compared them with 36 healthy controls without Parkinson’s. None of the patients had engaged in artistic hobbies before they took dopamine.
“Patients were included in the artistic group if they started working on creative projects for two or more hours a day after starting taking dopamine” explains lead author Dr Margherita Canesi.
“Our findings suggest that the patients’ newly acquired artistic skills were probably there all along, but did not start to emerge until they took the dopamine therapy.
“They did not appear to be connected with abnormal repetitive behaviors, such as impulse control disorders or punding – stereotyped behavior characterized by an intense fascination with a complex, excessive, non-goal oriented, repetitive activity.
“Other researchers have noted that altered creative drive has been observed in patients who have neurodegenerative diseases or have had a stroke. However the anatomical and physiological understanding of creativity is difficult to establish and quantify.”
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. It helps to regulate movement and emotional responses and enables people to see rewards and work towards them.
A deficiency in dopamine is the critical factor influencing Parkinson’s disease. Physicians often prescribe dopamine therapy to increase dopamine levels in the brain.
Key findings of the study included:
The artwork presented by the patients was mainly drawings/paintings (83%), poetry/novels (50%) and sculpture (28%). In 78% of cases, the patients showed more than one skill, normally writing plus painting or drawing. Some of the patients produced art that was sold and books that were published, but, at the other end of the scale, some of the creative work was of a very poor quality. By using the Torrence Test of Creative Thinking to compare the three groups, the researchers showed that the artistic Parkinson’s Disease patients had similar overall and individual scores to the healthy controls. However the non-artistic patients had significantly lower overall scores than the healthy controls and significantly lower scores than the artistic patients when it came to the elaboration sub-score. There was no correlation between the Torrence Test of Creative Thinking scores and the scores obtained using the Barratt Impulsivity Scale, one of the oldest and most widely used measures of impulsive personality traits. The researchers also used the Minnesota Impulsive Disorders Interview. This showed that one creative patient was positive for compulsive sexual behaviour, one creative patient for compulsive buying and two creative and three non-creative patients for pathological gambling. However, there was little difference in the Torrence scores for patients who tested positive or negative on the Minnesota scale. None of the patients or healthy controls displayed the stereotyped behaviour measured by the Punding Rating Scale.
“In conclusion, we found that newly acquired creative drive in patients with Parkinson’s Disease, after the introduction of dopaminergic therapy, is not related to impulsivity or impulse control disorders as measured by the Barratt Impulsivity Scale or the Minnesota Impulsive Disorders Interview” says Dr Canesi.
“We believe that their desire to be creative could represent emerging innate skills, possibly linked to repetitive and reward-seeking behaviours. Further studies are needed to support our preliminary observations.”
Source: Wiley-Blackwell
Elderly man holding paint brushes photo by shutterstock.
APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2012). Dopamine Improves Creativity in Parkinson’s. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 25, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/02/24/dopamine-improves-creativity-in-parkinson%e2%80%99s/35229.html
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Dopamine Improves Creativity in Parkinson’s