Navigation Links
Parkinsonian worms may hold the key to identifying drugs for Parkinson's disease
Date:11/10/2011

AUSTIN, Texas Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have devised a simple test, using dopamine-deficient worms, for identifying drugs that may help people with Parkinson's disease.

The worms are able to evaluate as many as 1,000 potential drugs a year. The researchers have received federal funding that could increase that to one million drug tests a year.

The test is based on the difficulty that these "parkinsonian" C. elegans worms have in switching from swimming to crawling when they're taken out of water.

"They can crawl fine," says Jon Pierce-Shimomura, assistant professor of neurobiology. "They go into a puddle and can swim fine. But as soon as the puddle goes away they crash. In some cases an individual will remain rigid for about a half hour."

Pierce-Shimomura led a team of researchers, including Andres Vidal-Gadea, Stephen Topper and Layla Young, to identify this "motor switching" problem. Their findings were published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

"We take these motor transitions for granted," says Pierce-Shimomura, "like getting up out of a chair or walking through a doorway from one surface to another. But people with Parkinson's have a terrible time with this. They freeze at the threshold. It looks like we have a very simple worm model for this now."

To identify potential therapeutics, Pierce-Shimomura begins with worms that have been mutated to be deficient in producing dopamine. It's the loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain that causes Parkinson's disease in humans.

The dopamine-deficient worms are put through the same paces that lead to the immobility, but in the presence of a drug.

If they become immobile as they normally would when water is removed, the researchers move on to the next drug. But if somehow a drug helps the worms' brains overcome the dopamine deficiency and they transition to crawling, the lab ha
'/>"/>

Contact: Daniel Oppenheimer
oppenheimer@austin.utexas.edu
512-745-3353
University of Texas at Austin
Source:Eurekalert  

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Floridas worm grunters collect bait worms by inadvertently imitating mole sounds
2. Deprived of a sense of smell, worms live longer
3. Key to curing obesity may lie in worms that destroy their own fat: McGill researchers
4. Ancient geologic escape hatches mistaken for tube worms
5. Parasitic worms make sex worthwhile
6. Pinhead-size worms + robot = new antibiotics
7. More than fish bait: Worms unlock secrets to new epilepsy treatments
8. Scientists find new genes for cancer, other diseases in plants, yeast and worms
9. Bone-eating worms 30 million years old
10. Brains, worms and computer chips have striking similarities
11. Body builders -- the worms that point the way to understanding tissue regeneration
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Parkinsonian worms may hold the key to identifying drugs for Parkinson's disease
(Date:5/22/2013)... potential environmental and human health effects from disposal ... has led scientists to recommend stronger government policies ... (Li-ion) battery materials. That,s the conclusion of a ... Science & Technology . , Oladele A. Ogunseitan ... become mainstays for powering everything from smart phones ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... on how climate change will affect interactions between species ... Journal of Animal Ecology . This knowledge, they say, ... of how species are likely to be impacted by ... recognition among biologists that climate change is affecting how ... going to have very important consequences for the stability ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... May 22, 2013. Plastic additives known as phthalates ... everywhere: They turn up in flooring, plastic cups, ... the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionthe bodies ... have come under increasing scrutiny. A growing collection ... can leech from packaging and mix with food) ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):UCLA life scientists present new insights on climate change and species interactions 2UCLA life scientists present new insights on climate change and species interactions 3UCLA life scientists present new insights on climate change and species interactions 4UCLA life scientists present new insights on climate change and species interactions 5Study links chemicals widely found in plastics and processed food to elevated blood pressure in children and teens 2
... mystery of how the world,s largest living reptile - the ... Pacific islands separated by huge stretches of ocean despite being ... group of Australian ecologists. Publishing their new study in the ... say that like a surfer catching a wave, the crocodiles ...
... rapid and continuous advances in biotechnology, scientists are better able ... the secrets of its genetic material. However, what happens outside ... Now, researchers with the National Institutes of Health are closer ... cell,s behavior. They looked at mouse immune cells and examined ...
... can a school cafeteria sell if the fruit is displayed ... That,s the sort of question researchers from ... of their Smarter Lunchrooms Initiativean effort to discover and share ... guide smarter food choices. Led by Professor Brian ...
Cached Biology News:Crocodiles ride ocean currents for ocean travel 2Crocodiles ride ocean currents for ocean travel 3Study of microRNA helps NIH scientists unlock secrets of immune cells 2
(Date:5/23/2013)... MUNDELEIN, Ill. , May 23, 2013 ... company providing value-added ingredients to a variety of industries, ... participated in a panel discussion at this year,s National ... May 20-21, 2013, on behalf of the Research Chefs ... Development for Restaurants: The Good, the Bad and the ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... , May 23, 2013 Pressure BioSciences, Inc. ... the Company will host a teleconference to discuss its ... business update. The teleconference information is provided below: ... Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) Dial-in: (800) 875-3456 ... 607-2001 (Int,l) Passcode: VS22823 For those unable ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... 23, 2013 Pusan National University Yangsan ... biotherapeutics and contract research company focused on research ... announced today a publication reporting the induction of ... oncolytic and immunotherapeutic vaccinia JX-594 (pexastimogene devacirepvec; Jennerex ... in the May 15 th , 2013 issue ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... Bed bugs already cost Alton Housing Authority ... ongoing, a report from kmov.com suggested that the said office ... treatment. Meanwhile, to be of help, My Cleaning Products gave ... bed bug exterminator service. , The report, which was ... far spent $35,000 for bed bug elimination, My ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Z Trim's Chef Erin Ryan sits on Expert Panel at NRA Show 2Z Trim's Chef Erin Ryan sits on Expert Panel at NRA Show 3Pressure BioSciences, Inc. to Discuss First Quarter 2013 Financial Results and Provide Business Update 2Pusan National University Announces Science Translational Medicine Publication Highlighting Landmark Demonstration of Functional Anti-Cancer Antibody Induction in Patients Following JX-594 Treatment 2Pusan National University Announces Science Translational Medicine Publication Highlighting Landmark Demonstration of Functional Anti-Cancer Antibody Induction in Patients Following JX-594 Treatment 3Bed Bug Exterminator Service Could Cost AHA $250K, My Cleaning Products Gives Tips How to Save Apartments from Costly Bed Bug Treatment 2
... exhibit enhanced,antigen-specific potency compared to lysate co-incubation in ... Oct. 2 MaxCyte,Inc. and Medinet Co., Ltd. ... 10th International Symposium on Dendritic Cells. The,meeting is ... The presentation is entitled: "Tumor lysate electroloaded ...
... One of only seven children,s hospitals in nation selected as Top Hospital ... ... Pittsburgh of,UPMC is one of only seven children,s hospitals in the nation ... that evaluates,patient safety at more than 1,220 participating hospitals., Children,s Hospital,s ...
... LITTLE FALLS, N.J., Oct. 2 Cantel Medical,Corp. (NYSE: ... discuss the Company,s,results for its fourth quarter and fiscal ... 11:00 AM EDT. Participating in the call will be ... Segel, Senior,Vice President-Corporate Development and Strategy; Craig A. Sheldon, ...
Cached Biology Technology:MaxCyte and Medinet to Present at the 10th International Symposium on Dendritic Cells in Kobe, Japan 2MaxCyte and Medinet to Present at the 10th International Symposium on Dendritic Cells in Kobe, Japan 3Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC Receives Prestigious Recognition for Patient Safety Efforts in National Survey 2Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC Receives Prestigious Recognition for Patient Safety Efforts in National Survey 3Cantel Medical Corp. To Hold Conference call to Discuss Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2008 Results 2
... Ac-DEVD-CHO is an inhibitor ... The concentration of inhibitor ... activity must be determined ... Ten micromolar inhibitor is ...
Human RELT/TNFRSF19L MAb (Clone 238104)...
homeo box D3, mRNA...
Human TSLP MAb (Clone 258136)...
Biology Products: