Disease research team gets £180,000
Jun 25 2007 By Audrey Forbes, The Journal
Newcastle researchers have been awarded more than £180,000 by The Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) to study how genetic changes in brain cell energisers leads to the development of Parkinson's.
Professor Patrick Chinnery and Professor David Burn will be leading the study over the next three years, linking in a team of experts from the university's Institute of Human Genetics, Institute for Ageing and Health, and Institute of Neuroscience.
The project will look at the genetics of mitochondria - which provide cells with energy - and don't work as effectively as they should in people with Parkinson's.
Laboratory research has already shown that the natural variations in the genetic code of mitochondria is associated with the risk of developing the disease but it is not known which changes are responsible for this altered risk.
Prof Chinnery and his team will investigate which part of the mitochondrial DNA genetic code is responsible for the altered risk of developing Parkinson's. DNA is normally copied exactly in every cell of the body. However, if the mitochondrial DNA is not copied correctly it decreases the cells' ability to work properly.
The nerve cells in the part of the brain affected by Parkinson's are particularly susceptible to these changes and this may contribute to their death. This study will also look at whether variations in specific genes associated with the copying of DNA may influence a person's chances of developing Parkinson's.
