ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 12, 1996 TAG: 9610140060
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: Associated Press
A research team led by two University of Virginia scientists has identified a possible link between a genetic defect found within energy-producing cells and Parkinson's disease.
The team, which also includes a California research firm that specializes in biology-based drugs, published its findings in the October issue of Annals of Neurology, which reached newsstands Friday.
``We're going to be able to jump on people very early and keep the disease from progressing,'' said Dr. Davis Parker, a UVa professor of neurology. He and Dr. Russell Swerdlow of UVa participated in the research.
Parkinson's disease affects more than 1 million people in the United States. The illness attacks part of the nervous system, causing tremors and slowly progressing to stiffen muscles and affect posture and balance.
Researchers found the genetic defect within tiny structures called mitochondria that populate cells. The defect inhibits the cells from making energy out of nutrient molecules, according to the study.
When the energy generation process breaks down, electrons interact with oxygen to form ``oxygen radicals,'' which many believe trigger the death of neurons. The deaths of these cells are seen in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The link to mitochondrial DNA gives scientists a place to focus energy in developing therapy for Parkinson's disease, Parker said.
``So the strategy is to protect the neurons that are sick but not dead and to rescue them and to keep other neurons from joining the process and getting sick,'' he said. Connecting the mitochondrial DNA to the disease, Parker said, also expands scientists' understanding of how diseases are inherited.
``Parkinson's disease is a good example of a whole host of diseases, neurological and otherwise, which have been a real puzzle because they simply do not follow known genetic patterns; and because of that, people have looked for nongenetic factors that might cause them,'' Parker said. ``I hope it's going to be the prototype of a new way of thinking about genetic cause.''
``If the genetic defect is a cause, it is not consistent with the clinical data,'' said Dr. Roger Duvoisin, chairman of the scientific advisory board of the American Parkinson's Disease Association.
Duvoisin said he doesn't think the inheritance pattern fits a mitochondrial cause because those genes are passed from mother to child, while Parkinson's seems to be a disorder passed on by either parent.
LENGTH: Medium: 51 linesby CNB