Following the Latest Stem Cell Debate in D.C.

News from Parkinson's Action Network (PAN) 9-16-10

A few PD-related news updates

If you haven't read the 9/16/10 Parkinson's Action Network letter for the Senate Hearings on human embryonic stem cell research, here is a direct link to the hearings convened by Senator Tom Harkin.
What you will see is a video of the hearings convened to discuss the science not the legal entanglements or the preliminary injunction.

You can go to PAN to see the status of HR 1362 which is the National MS and Parkinson's Disease Registries Act.  From the same page you will find the link to contact your legistlators:  Help Make Stem Cell Research Legislation a Priority this Fall.  It is not too late to contact your Members of Congress to express your concern.

If you missed some of the Podcasts offered through the Michael J Fox Foundation, it isn't too late to download them.  We missed Dr Andrew Sngleton speaking on What Causes Parkinson'sDisease? so we'll be opening this download.  You can still find the Podcasts listed under News & Events.

Lonnie Ali's recent remarks at a conference sponsored by GSK for PD patients and caregivers made it clear that the support of family and loved ones is so important to getting an early diagnosis. They were married a year after his PD diagnosis but 5 years after his parkinsonian symptoms were dx'd.

What we learn is that everyone does their part.  If you can't be geographically close there is always email and the phone for quick contact.  Just reach out.

Cogane for Parkinson's Disease UPDATE

Cogane for PD in the Good News Column - Follow the Money

Phytopharm and Cogane are all over the financial News. 43% reduction in the disease process in the primate study. Using Macaque monkeys who are the research gold standard for Parkinson's disease, the study demonstrated the there is promise and safety in the future development of Cogane to treat Parkinson's disease.

The stock market has reacted favorably with stock prices soaring. After all, Parkinson's Disease is an $11 billion industry. Search for Cogane within the last few days and you will see the financial news before you see medical news. But that's okay because without the market, without the investors, there will be no future. I read it first in the Wall Street Journal.

The research itself was funded under the leadership of some amazing people. We salute Michael J Fox of MJFF and Tom Isaacs of The Cure Parkinson's Trust for putting their monies where there hopes are. Without funding by MJFF $1.16m grant and the The Cure Parkinson's Trust, whose managing director is Tom Isaacs, the testing and trials might have been left on a back burner.

The second study, phase Ib in humans - small study in healthy and controls - found it safe and essentially well-tolerated in all volunteers at 150mgs daily - PD trial participants reached the same levels as those in the primate studies.

Phytopharm will present more detailed results at the upcoming XVIII WFN World Congress on Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders in Miami, FL on December 13-16, 2009.

So moving along, the Phase II clinical trials are scheduled to begin during the 2nd quarter 2010.

Cogane is a non-peptide neurotrophic factor which stimulated the growth of neuronal growth factors while increasing neurite outgrowth by elevating the levels of brain derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF) and glial derived neurotrophic factors (GDNF) which aid the survival of neurons. Per Dr Jonathan M Brotchie, Senior Scientist, Division of Brain Imaging and Behavior systems-Neuroscience at Toronto Western Research Institute, this is the 1st treatment which actually reverses disease process rather than just treating symptoms.

Addendum: June 2010
Phytopharm has announced that it will be moving to the phase II clinical trials in the USA.  The FDA has approved the protocol for the trials.  Enrollment will begin in late 2010.  We'll keep you posted with the links for the opening of enrollment.

You can read the Phytopharm press release here

To read comments from the MJFF, Tom Isaacs and Dr Brotchie, check this article published 10-14-2009

Google Founder Gives PD Patients Opportunity for Easy Genetic Testing

Genetic Research Opportunity for Parkinson's Disease Patients
23andMe, Inc a personal genetic company together with the Michael J Fox Foundation (MJFF) and The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center (PI) announced on March 12th, 2009 that it was launching an initiative program in which it will enroll 10,000 individuals with Parkinson's disease on a first come - first served basis in a research program which will allow online information gathering about patients with the genotyping of participants.
Although the cost for such a program is normally $399.00, the program has been underwritten by Google co-founder Sergey Brin whose mother has PD. Mr Brin discovered through 23andMe that he has a genetic disposition for Parkinson's. The cost to participants through either MJFF or PI will be only $25.00.
For those who want to be a part of this wonderful opportunity, you can enroll at the Michael J Fox Foundation website:
To link to the press release by MJFF:
To link to the full press release with additional information:

Addendum:  The study may still be open, so even though it is 2010, you may not be too late - it is certainly worth a click or two.

You Have to Kiss A Lot of Lab Rats

Not all Parkinson's research will be the big one.

Every so often we come across the blogger who criticizes, for example, the funding by the Michael J Fox Foundation because no results have been seen: no cure for Parkinson's disease. And that attitude miffs us. It doesn't get us angry because to do that would be to acknowledge that this was someone who knew what the heck was going on. But it is dangerous because the monies which must go into research are enormous and the backlash effect of these attitudes can jeopardize donations and research funding if believed.

Research often leads down a dead end road...for a particular condition.
These paths aren't marked that way from the outset...it just happens that this direction or that one didn't turn out to be viable. Sometimes they are a bridge and sometimes they are a dead end.  But you've got to take the road to discover and that's not always a bad thing because you know how to improve, where not to look, whatever...

Some of these clinical trials can take a long time to open for participation. After that a trial can last for a significantly long time - years sometimes.

One of the recent directions of research found from an earlier study that in people who had naturally high levels of urate, an antioxidant, had a slower Parkinson's disease progression rate. This is especially important for the understudied young onset Parkinson's patients (YOPD).  See: our 1/20/10 post

For those who were following the April 2008 announcement that the MJFF was one of the sponsors of the Phase II trial of Drs. Michael Schwarzschild and Alberto Ascherio studying patients with early onset Parkinson's to determine the safety and efficacy of Inosine which raises urate levels - a potentially risky business and contraindicated under certain conditions but by no means all - there is no news except to say that the study, Safety of Urate Elevation (SURE-PD) has not begun to enroll yet.   (9-2009 update: study now recruiting.  See: below)

You can find the contact information and the nine states where the trials will be conducted here:
Safety of Urate Elevation in Parkinson's Disease (SURE-PD)

NCT00833690

Another grant from MJFF went to Drs. Rowen Chang and Chuantao Jiang at the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, part of the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, TX. They are developing a vaccine targeting the protein alpha-synuclein relavent to the regulation and transportation of dopamine.

Every year there are tens of thousands more PD patients. The cost of the disease is enormous on so many levels. We just wanted to express our gratitude to not only the funders and the researchers but also the trial subjects for their courage and dedication. To the patients, families and caregivers we want to demonstrate that there are many people out there working to find solutions.

2015 Addenda
In 2013 the Michael J fox Foundation published this information about the SURE-PD (Safety of Urate Elevation in Parkinson's disease.

Phase 3 of the SURE-PD study will begin enrolling in 2016.  Here's a link to one news report from Science Daily, the summary of which is below:
A study from members of the research team investigating whether increasing blood levels of the antioxidant urate can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease has found that the neuroprotective effects of urate extend beyond its own antioxidant properties. An NIH-funded phase 3 trial of a urate-elevating drug, led by the senior author of the current study, will begin enrolling patients next year.
As of September 2015, I'm sure you've already see reports from many PD organizations about the urate/inosine Phase 2 study results.  

Isradipine Phase II Trials for Parkinson's Disease

Professor D. James Surmeier's exciting work investigating the relationship between calcium and sodium channel modulation and Parkinson's disease has been widely known in the Parkinson's community since his June 2007 article in Nature. The article described how isradipine restores older dopamine neurons to their youthful condition. In it Dr Surmeier describes how he feels that people may be able to take isradapine to protect brain cells from Parkinson's like they now take baby aspirin for their hearts. He also hopes that Isradipine can extend by two to three times the therapeutic window that patients have to continue taking L-DOPA before it loses its effectiveness or starts to have serious side effects.

A small clinical trial has been completed at Northwestern University proving the safely and tolerance of Isradipine in PD patients. The phase II trial, Safety and Tolerability of Isradipine (a potential neuroprotective agent) in Patients with Parkinson's Disease - Stage II is still in recruitment. (see: below)

With funding from the Michael J. Fox Foundation Dr Surmeier is now working with fellow Northwestern chemistry professor Dr Richard Silverman to develop a new drug (calcium channel blocker) that will just target one of the two calcium ion channels, Cav1.3 L-type calcium channel antagonist to slow or stop progression of the disease. Success could bring a patent and marketing by a major drug company.

Source: http://www.michaeljfox.org/research_MJFFfundingPortfolio_searchableAwardedGrants_3.cfm?ID=492

Full text of clinical trial: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00753636