Monday, August 11, 2014

Parkinson's Vaccine: What does it mean for those with PD and those who will eventually get PD

The Parkinson's vaccine that has been developed in Austria by biotech company AFFiRis AG has recently gotten a lot of news.  They announced positive results of a phase one safety study for a vaccine that could slow or even stop the progression of Parkinson's.

While this is great news, the unfortunate thing is also stated in that first paragraph as well, where it states the vaccine may only:
slow or even stop the progression of Parkinson's
 I actually talked to my neurologist about the vaccine and while it will aid new patients who are diagnosed with Parkinson's and may also point to an indicator that can be tested before symptoms begin to appear, the protein alpha-synuclein, this will not reverse the effects of Parkinson's disease, because those cells are already dead and clearing the alpha-synuclein that had a part in their death will not bring them back.

Therefore, for the millions with Parkinson's Disease, we still require a methodology for replacing the dopamine those cells used to produce, via medication/DBS, or the actual cells themselves, via stem cells, gene manipulation or some method someone has not yet thought up.  I don't want to be a downer, this vaccine is great news if it really works; however, for those of us already living with the disease have even further to go.

Also, remember, I am just a patient so take what I say with a grain of salt and discuss it with your doctor.

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