Are Worms the Answer to Parkinson's?

Researchers at the University of Texas in Austin have discovered a new way to test the effectiveness of various drugs for Parkinson’s disease. They use dopamine-deficient worms to test how the drugs affect their transition from swimming to crawling on land. Worms are used because they are able to have about 1,000 potential drugs tested on them per year. In addition, even though humans have a more complex central nervous system, we share certain “ancient and conserved” genetic structures. Therefore, drugs that work on worms may also work on humans.

In regards to testing the drugs, first, the worms are mutated so that they are unable to produce dopamine, similar to the degeneration of dopamine-producing cells in the substantia nigra of the brain of Parkinson’s patients. Then, these worms are exposed to a certain drug. Those that do not work cause the worm to not be able to crawl once the water has been removed. If the drug is ineffective, the researches move to the next drug. One compound has already been found to be effective and it has been approved for treating another condition in humans.

I chose this article due to the significant prevalence of this disease. Parkinson’s affects people worldwide, including about 500,000 in the United States. Finding a cure for this disease would lead to about 4 million people worldwide living longer and healthier lives. With this new research study, we will hopefully find a cure very soon at a relatively inexpensive cost.

Source: http://www.nwpf.org/News.aspx?Item=3858