Several new advancements in research are worth highlighting for the month of August. Globally there have been several researches in US, Europe and Asia that are potentially very important.
Some of the researchers came up with nanobodies that can potentially treat the Parkinson’s Disease. These miniature antibodies can bind to the misshapen α-synuclein clumps thereby destabilizing them.
Several researches focused on early detection of Parkinson’s Disease. Once the Parkinson’s Disease is detected, the damage is already done. Hence, early detection can be critical in terms of controlling the development of PD. Some researchers are working on developing a blood test that can detect possibility of PD based on signal intensities of certain components. Others are trying to capture the T cell’s gene expression signatures for detecting early signals of PD.
Some scientists are working on impact of other diseases (conditions) like Type 2 diabetes about its damaging effect on the PD patient’s body. There are some who are working on understanding if post-traumatic stress disorder can lead to development of PD in older people.
Following are details about some of the researches:
Nanobodies for treating PD
Nanobodies are the miniature versions of antibodies that are present in the blood of animals like llama and sharks. They are the protein that helps in finding and attacking foreign pathogens. Researchers genetically engineered the nanobodies to make them stable. These nanobodies then were able to bind to the misshapen α-synuclein clumps. Clumps are bad and nanobodies could destabilize the clumps after binding to them.
Following is the link to the original source:
Blood test for PD detection?
Early and accurate detection of Parkinson’s Disease is key to better management of the disease. This can help in starting the treatment / therapy sooner. Scientists are working on trying to identify a non-invasive way to detect the disease through extraction and isolation of a specific neuron-derived component from the brain and checking their signal intensities with those of “controlled” samples. Really great work by these scientists!
Following is the link to the original source:
T cell for early detection
Scientists have discovered about a relationship between the immune system and Parkinson’s Disease. T cells are important component of the immune system and responsible for important functions like immune responses, memory, etc. T cells’ PD specific gene expression signatures hold the key. Recent research revealed that T cells may provide early clues about progression of PD much before the symptoms are seen the patient. This may open possibilities of targeted treatments earlier in the PD progression.
Following is the link to the original source:
PD and Diabetes
Type 2 Diabetes was associated with higher levels of a specific component in serum for PD patients. This hints at a possible increase in neuroaxonal damage in PD patients who have Type 2 diabetes.
Another research revealed that Type 2 diabetes patients who have reduced kidney function are at risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease. Patients who have reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate and / or proteinuria have a greater risk of developing PD. For patients with Diabetic Kidney Disease, there is an additional risk of development of PD especially in those above 65 years of age.
Following are the links to the original sources:
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and PD
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a result of a traumatic event. PTSD is a mental disorder. In controlling the fear conditioning and anxiety, Dopamine has a role to play. In patients above 72 years of age, PTSD is associated with higher risk of developing PD later in life.
Following is the link to the original source:
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