New Hope For Parkinson’s Disease

Why are there more cases of Parkinson’s disease in the Midwest and Northeast of the USA than in the rest of the country?

Why are there many more people with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease in the island of Guam compared to the mainland USA?

What new treatments are in clinical trials for neurodegenerative diseases?

Are you sure that 100% certified organic foods you eat are free of neurotoxic pesticides?

My husband and I found answers to those questions when we went in early January to the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh to visit Dr. Tilo Kunath to interview him about his fascinating research work on Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative disorders.

As we entered the modern building, we met a young, dynamic and very pleasant Dr. Tilo and as we followed him up the stairs to his bright office, we felt a shiver of excitement being at a crossroad between the past, the present and the future of neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Tilo Kunath explained his passion for making neurons from stem cells and using preformed protein fibrils to mimic neurodegenerative diseases so that new molecules and therapeutics could be tested for their ability to reverse the damage to diseased neurons.

First, let’s look at some Parkinson’s disease statistics published by the Parkinson Association of the Carolinas: