Great News on the Parkinson's Front

Today is a beautiful day. The sun is shining and I woke up with every cell in my body healthy and awaiting my command for action. It is not so easy for those with Parkinson's Disease. For them, not every cell acts on command - in fact, some cells seem to have willful minds of their own.

About Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a progressive movement disorder that affects at least one million people in the United States. It is caused by a reduction in dopamine containing nerve cells of the midbrain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in controlling movement and coordination, so Parkinson's patients experiencing a reduction of dopamine-producing nerve cells exhibit the progressive inability to initiate and control physical movements. There is currently no cure for Parkinson's disease.

Today, I am grateful for my health and happy to bring good new to those with Parkinson's.. . . .


Medical News Today

April 17, 2007

Ceregene, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, today presented long term follow-up data from a Phase 1 clinical trial of CERE-120, a gene therapy product in development for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, demonstrating a 36 percent (p<0.001) reduction in Parkinson's symptoms at 12 months after administration. . .

"We are pleased with the results of this early study which suggests that the majority of patients treated with CERE-120 may have exhibited significant and stable improvement for a full year after receiving a single administration of CERE-120," stated Jeffrey M. Ostrove, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Ceregene. "Each of our products, much like CERE-120, is aimed at unmet neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (AML or Lou Gehrig's disease) with the goal of not only improving the symptoms but also preventing progression of the disease."

This Phase 1 clinical trial was partially supported by a grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Based on the results of the Phase 1 study, the Foundation has provided a $1.9 million grant, which will provide partial funding for Ceregene's ongoing Phase 2 trial.
Read the entire article here.