Researchers Discover Groundbreaking Potential to Halt Progression of Parkinson’s Disease

It seems that new research, reports, and anecdotes relating to Parkinson's Disease arouse intrigue in countless medical professionals and families. Any behavioral modifications, dietary changes, or cell-related research into the diseases we fear most provides hope that a less painful future is possible for those who have been diagnosed.

Researchers have once more offered hope for the future of Parkinson's Disease diagnoses, leading many to hope that living with the disease long term is possible.

Below, we discuss the findings of the latest research into the prevention of cell death and the notion of halting the progression of Parkinson's Disease. If you or your family have been diagnosed with this disease, it is crucial that you discuss these findings with your primary care doctor, as well as develop a short- and long-term plan for your health.

According to research conducted by Parkinson’s Disease Research Centre experts at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), "a small molecule that can selectively block cell death" has been identified, which elicits hope for the potential of innovative treatments to be developed for Parkinson's Disease as well as other neurodegenerative diagnoses.

"The findings lay the groundwork for next-generation neuroprotective drugs for degenerative conditions," per the WEHI website.

According to the WEHI report, the death of millions of cells normally occurs daily in our bodies. However, a higher than normal amount of cell death can cause Parkinson's Disease.

Per Professor Grant Dewson, the head of the Parkinson’s Disease Research Centre, "Currently there are no treatments that prevent neurons from dying to slow the progression of Parkinson’s. Any drugs that could be able to do this could be game changing.”

"A high-throughput screen of over 100,000 chemical compounds identified one that was effective at stopping cells from dying, by interfering with a well-understood cell death protein," according to the report.

Past research into cell death led by the experts at WEHI eventually resulted in a drug to treat cancer. For the purposes of Parkinson's Disease, the researchers are interested in "cell death blockers," as opposed to treatments to "trigger cell death."

Of this discovery, co-corresponding author Professor Guillaume Lessene said, “We were thrilled to find a small molecule that targets a killer protein called BAX and stops it working. While not the case in most cells, in neurons turning off BAX alone may be sufficient to limit cell death.”

Researcher and lead author Kaiming Li sounded inspired by the potential of this discovery.

"For the first time we could keep BAX away from mitochondria and keep cells alive using this molecule. This could pave the way for next-generation cell death inhibitors to combat degenerative conditions," Li said, per the WEHI website.

As innovative research at the cellular level continues to offer breakthroughs in our collective understanding of the most heinous diagnoses imaginable, it is discoveries like the ones at WEHI that offer us hope for a much brighter, happier future.