Zhang Jun
10/15/05(Shanghai Daily) - WORMS, mice and zebrafish may help find a
cure for Parkinson's disease because they carry some of the same
disease genes as humans, Chinese researchers said yesterday.
A research team has completed major preliminary experiments to
develop early diagnosis and drugs for Parkinson's disease, a local
scientist said yesterday.

Over the last three years, the researchers have for the first time
generated three animal models — c.elegans (a kind of homologous
worm), zebrafish and mice — each of which carry five key PD-related
genes in humans.

"We have created a most comprehensive research platform of PD," said
Professor Le Weidong of the Shanghai Institute of Health Sciences,
who leads the institute's neurongenomics lab.

Le is also the executive director of Institute of Biomedical Sciences
of Ruijin Hospital. He leads a 16-member research team, including
scientists and post-graduate students.

Le said his team will launch large-scale experiments with the
established animal models and will screen hundreds of candidate genes
and chemicals to find the suitable ones for drug selection.

"We plan to find out the direct risk factors of Parkinson's disease,
including genetic factors and environmental factors," said Le. He
said previous studies have shown that monogenic mutations represent
some 10 percent in general PD population.

He highlighted the importance of creating early neuronprotection
approaches because most PD patients, when found, have already had the
disease in their brains for more than a decade.

He also expressed hope for more government funding and more
cooperation with private companies for future research.

PD is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Its major clinical
symptoms include slowness of movements, rigidity and poor balance.

It is considered an especially challenging human disease whose
mechanism is not clear and in which the sufferers' condition
progressively deteriorates.

There is no effective treatment to slow or stop the disease's
progression.

China has between 3 million and 4 million Parkinson's sufferers, and
the number is still rising.

Using animal models to study the disease is very effective because
mice, worms and other animals share some genetic characteristics with
humans.

Ralf Baumeister, a German professor of system biology from the
University of Freiburg, told an international biological symposium
this week that 60 percent of the human disease genes are represented
in homologous worm genes. Others say 80 percent are represented by
mouse genes.