Parkinson’s

The potential for a drug to slow down the progression of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is to be explored after trials secured funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC).

The development of M102, a drug candidate for the treatment of MND, has been given a £1.6 million grant, with researchers from the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), in partnership with Aclipse Therapeutics, looking to advance its potential.

Aware that many people with Parkinson’s wanted to be more challenged with their physical activity, Neuro Heroes was created to do just that. Here, co-founder Laura Douglas tells NR Times about why their service is badly needed and warmly welcomed.

While the benefits of exercise for people with Parkinson’s are well known, that exercise usually comes in the form of yoga or tai chi, something which is certainly active but at the more relaxing end of the scale. But for Neuro Heroes, their definition of exercise for people with Parkinson’s is different. “We have a group of people who want to be challenged and pushed, as well as building their fitness,” says Laura Douglas, co-founder of the group.

A breakthrough discovery has been made in the fight against Parkinson’s disease, with researchers discovering a protein which could slow down or stop its progression.

The protein BMP5/7 has been discovered to be significant in the advancement of the condition, which affects over 10 million people worldwide. The development of treatment in this area could yield the long-awaited breakthrough in the ability to halt the progression of Parkinson’s, with work now advancing further in this field to bring it to clinical application.