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Cellular clues
Animal sciences researcher looks for links between egg quality and disease development
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Wojcieszek, an IU School of Medicine associate professor of neurology and director of the IU Movement Disorder Center, says that Hinkle is a textbook case of spontaneous, or sporadic, non-inherited Parkinson’s disease. Eighty-five percent of Parkinson’s cases are spontaneous and are diagnosed in people at about age 60. Inherited cases are those caused by a malfunctioning gene, and the disease usually is identified before the victims are 40 years old.
“Exercise and reducing stress are important for managing Parkinson’s disease,” Wojcieszik says. “These lifestyle adjustments also can help minimize the amount of medication the patient needs.”
From lab to patient
But basic research is the first step to determine causes of disease. According to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, it was just in the past decade that scientists realized some Parkinson’s cases are inherited. Studying when and why the involved genes and proteins don’t function properly may uncover causes for both inherited and sporadic instances of the illness, the institute’s experts say.
Purdue researcher Machaty says that he, Krisher and Cabot believe their research will answer some questions and eventually help people like Hinkle. “Theoretically, it’s possible to make copies of animals with certain traits—transgenic animals—to improve them,” Machaty says. “The importance to human medicine is that we could make models to understand the biochemical mechanisms of certain human diseases. Our research may aid in developing and testing new drugs and finding cures. The bottom line is how our research into egg quality and nuclear transfer can contribute to progress in treating everything from infertility to Parkinson’s disease. We think it will be significant.”
Contact Susan A. Steeves at ssteeves@purdue.edu
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