Radical new treatment for Parkinson’s Disease trialled in patients

Around 145,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in the UK each year. The degenerative condition causes parts of the brain to become progressively damaged, which results in a range of symptoms, such as stiff, inflexible muscles and involuntary shaking. It cannot be slowed down or reversed.

Patients involved in this new study received an experimental treatment known as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), the aim being to regenerate dying brain cells through a port in their head.

35 patients took part in the trial, where half received the GDNF infusions and the other half received a placebo.

Principal investigator of the study, Dr Alan Whone, said that on average, the patients had been diagnosed around eight years previously, but brain scans of those who had received the treatment, showed images that would be expected after just 24 months of diagnosis.

He said “We’ve shown with the Pet (positron emission tomography) scans that, having arrived, the drug then engages with its target, dopamine nerve endings, and appears to help damaged cells regenerate or have a biological response.”

Following an initial trial period of nine months, all participants were given the opportunity to continue for a further nine months. At the conclusion, both groups showed moderate to large improvements in their symptoms, indicating that it was not clear whether the drug was responsible for the benefits.

However, the scans taken of those who had been given the drug showed visual evidence of improvements to the affected areas of the brain.

Parkinson’s UK’s director of research Dr Arthur Roach, said “While the results are not clear-cut, the study has still been a resounding success.

“It has advanced our understanding of the potential effects of GDNF on damaged brain cells, shown that delivering a therapy in this way is feasible and that it is possible to deliver drugs with precision to the brain.”

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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