World's first Parkinson's vaccine is trialled

TEN people with Parkinson's disease this week received injections of the first vaccine aimed at combating the condition.

Called PD01A, the drug primes the body's immune system to destroy alpha-synuclein, a protein thought to trigger the disease by accumulating in the brain and disrupting dopamine production.

Affiris, the company in Vienna, Austria, that developed the vaccine, says it is the first treatment to target the cause of the disease. "When it forms clumps in cells, alpha-synuclein disrupts normal levels of dopamine by locking it inside cells that produce it. It is also toxic, killing neurons and their connections," says Mandler Markus, head of preclinical development at the company.

Most existing treatments only ease symptoms by boosting dopamine levels.

In all, 32 people will receive the vaccine in the first trial on humans. The objective is to ensure the vaccine is safe, but researchers will also monitor for signs of improvement in symptoms.

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

Have your say

Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.

Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article

Subscribe now to comment.

All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.

If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.

the grey machine gun kelly saul alinsky annapolis trisomy wwe royal rumble leon panetta