(July 16, 2015) Scientists
from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) and McLean
Hospital and Harvard Medical School in the United States have found that
existing anti-malaria drugs could be a potential treatment for Parkinson’s
disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the
central nervous system that causes a person to lose control of motor movements,
such as the ability to move his or her hands, arms, and legs.
Parkinson’s disease is one of the most common
neurodegenerative conditions in Singapore. It affects three out of every 1,000
persons aged 50 years and above. With an ageing population in Singapore, cases
of neurodegenerative diseases are set to rise.
Currently, there is no cure or treatment which can slow down
or stop Parkinson’s disease, which affects an estimated 10 million people
worldwide.
This groundbreaking research was published recently in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
(PNAS) online, a prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journal.
The multi-year research project was a partnership between
Professor Kwang-Soo Kim from McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School in the
United States and Associate Professor Yoon Ho Sup from NTU’s School of
Biological Sciences.
The team of international scientists had discovered that by
activating Nurr1, a class of proteins found in the brain, it protects the
brain’s ability to generate dopamine neurons.
Dopamine, commonly known as the chemical in the brain that
generates pleasurable feelings, is an important neurotransmitter that affects
motor control and movement of muscles in the body.
Parkinson’s disease disrupts the production of dopamine
neurons and progressively control.