Stanford study reveals enzyme inhibitor may slow Parkinson’s disease

A groundbreaking study from Stanford Medicine has shed new light on a promising approach to slowing the progression of Parkinson’s disease. Researchers were “totally surprised” by the results, which focused on the role of enzymes in the disease.

Enzymes are proteins in the body that play a crucial role in various bodily functions, including digestion and liver function. In Parkinson’s disease, targeting a specific enzyme helped to restore communication between neurons and cells in mice, potentially offering hope for future treatments.

Lead author Suzanne Pfeffer, PhD, explained that the team was shocked by the significant improvement seen in the mice. The study specifically looked at the enzyme LRRK2, which is overactive in about 25% of Parkinson’s cases due to genetic mutations. This overactivity disrupts communication between brain cells, leading to symptoms of the disease.

The researchers tested a molecule called MLi-2 LRRK2 kinase inhibitor on mice with the genetic mutation for overactive LRRK2. After feeding the inhibitor to the mice for three months, they found that the neurons in the affected mice were restored to a nearly normal state. This breakthrough suggests that inhibiting the LRRK2 enzyme could potentially stabilize Parkinson’s symptoms if patients are identified early enough.

While the study was conducted in mice and not humans, the researchers believe that the findings could have implications for human patients. Overactive LRRK2 is present in various forms of Parkinson’s disease, indicating that this treatment could benefit multiple types of patients.

Moving forward, the research team plans to investigate whether other forms of Parkinson’s disease could also benefit from targeting the LRRK2 enzyme. Early intervention is crucial in Parkinson’s disease, as symptoms often appear years after the disease has already begun.

The study was funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s initiative, and the United Kingdom Medical Research Council. Encouraging patients to undergo genetic testing could help identify those who may benefit from future treatments and clinical trials.

Overall, this groundbreaking research offers hope for the future of Parkinson’s disease treatment. By targeting specific enzymes like LRRK2, researchers may be able to improve, stabilize, or even reverse the condition in patients. For more information on health and medical breakthroughs, visit www.foxnews.com/health.