Worms Might Hold Key to Parkinson's Cure

Dundee University scientists believe that a simple worm can be a clue to why people develop Parkinson’s disease (also known as “PD”).

[USPRwire, Sat Feb 06 2010] The research, funded by The Parkinson’s Disease Society, will study a simple worm, called “C. elegans,” in the hope of determining the factors that cause brains cells to die in Parkinson’s patients.

“With Parkinson’s on the rise, this is a truly game-changing discovery,” says Kay Mixson Jenkins, author of Who Is Pee Dee? Explaining Parkinson’s Disease to a Child. “This finding brings a lot of hope to PD patients as well as their families.”

Ms. Jenkins was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age thirty-four. She decided to write a book to help her children understand the devastating disease. Who Is Pee Dee? follows a young boy named Colt as he tries to deal with his mother’s chronic illness.

Even though worms don’t develop Parkinson’s disease, scientists consider them an excellent model for PD research because they:
• Share fifty percent of their genes with humans, including those involved with inherited Parkinson’s disease.
• Have nerve cells that communicate with each other in a manner similar to humans’.
• Have nervous systems similar enough to humans’ that they can be used for PD studies.
• Have nerve cells that might help to determine what causes PD patients’ brain cells to die.
• Are among nature’s simplest organisms, which makes it easier for scientists to dissect and study impact of PD and its potential treatments.

“Hopefully, the outcome of this latest research will speed up the development of a new class of drugs that can mitigate the symptoms of PD and, ultimately, lead to a cure,” says Ms. Jenkins.

In addition to writing Who Is Pee Dee?, Ms. Jenkins is a leader in a nationwide effort to raise awareness about PD. As the founder of Parkinson’s in the Park, an affiliated chapter of the National Parkinson Foundation, Ms. Jenkins has created an outreach program that encourages families and friends to participate in the treatment of PD patients.

Kay Mixson Jenkins is also the Georgia state co-coordinator for the Parkinson’s Action Network, leads the Effingham County Parkinson’s support group and was selected as a Parkinson’s patient advocate for UCB, Inc.

Who Is Pee Dee? Explaining Parkinson’s Disease to a Child by Kay Mixson Jenkins is available on Amazon.com.

For more information, contact the author directly at kmj@ParkinsonsInThePark.org.

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