Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. My hope is that a better understanding of where things currently are and what is scheduled for the next 12 months will help in better managing those expectations. Please understand that there is still a long way to go for all of these experimental therapies.So I have had a few inquiries over the last 24 hours.A wee bit of interest in some recent Parkinson’s associated research.It seems that there was a bit of excitement generated by press releases regarding new research from a group of researchers in China and the University of Iowa suggesting that a commonly used blood pressure and prostate treatment called Terazosin not only had beneficial effects in multiple models of Parkinson’s, but also reduced the incidence of Parkinson’s in people taking the drug.In this study, the researchers investigated the properties of a drug called terazosin in various models of Parkinson’s.Here at the SoPD, we are primarily interested in disease modification for Parkinson’s. A collaboration between researchers in China and The University of Iowa (IA, USA) resulted in combining basic molecular biology with big data to investigate the effects of terazosin – a drug typically used to treat enlarged prostate or prostatic hyperplasia – on the progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD). My hope is that a better understanding of where things currently are and what is scheduled for the next 12 months will help in better managing those expectations. To find out more, please read our privacy policy and cookie policy . While there is a great deal of interesting research exploring the causes of the condition, novel symptomatic therapies, and other aspects of Parkinson’s, my focus is generally on the science seeking to slow, stop or reverse the condition.At the start of each year, it is a useful practise to layout what is planned and what we will be looking for over the next 12 months.
This study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, followed co-senior author Lei Liu’s (Capital Medical University, Beijing, China) discovery that terazosin can block cell death.
This cell-protective activity was reported to be due to the fact terazosin can activate the PGK1 enzyme, which is essential for cellular energy production. We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. Rallying to the Challenge 2020. 2020 is going to be a busy year for Parkinson’s research, and I am genuinely concerned that posts like this are only going to raise expectations. Plain English information about the research being conducted on Parkinson's My old scout master once looked around our horse shoe, making eye contact with each of us, before asking the question:My fellow scouts and I looked at each other – confused. Did he want an exact date?! The Ricky Road Run goes Virtual for 2020! As reduced...Analysis of data from over 1.5 million individuals reveals that Join The Cure Parkinson’s Trust and Van Andel Institute on 24 and 25 September for this year’s ‘virtual’ Grand Challenges in Parkinson’s Disease and its parallel meeting Rallying to the Challenge.
Terazosin for Parkinson's Disease (TZ-PD) The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Obviously, where 2020 will actually end is unpredictable, but an outline of what is scheduled over the next year will hopefully provide us with a useful resource for better managing expectations.In this post, I will try to lay out some of what 2020 holds for us with regards to clinical research focused on disease modification for Parkinson’s.This week exciting new research from a collaboration between Chinese researchers and scientists at the University of Iowa has pointed towards a clinically-available, generic drug that could be re-purposed for Parkinson’s.The researchers found a drug called Terazosin – which is used for the treatment of enlarged prostates and high blood pressure – can boost energy production in neurons, and also rescue multiple preclinical models of Parkinson’s (including human cell cultures).Most intriguing, however, was their discovery that people taking Terazosin (or similar drugs) have a reduced incidence of Parkinson’s, and people with Parkinson’s who take Terazosin seem to have less disease progression.In today’s post, we will look at what Terazosin is, how it functions, what this new research suggests, and how the finding is being taken forward.“Repurposing: From enlarged prostates to Parkinson’s”