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The University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine will receive $1.5
million annually from the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) over the next five years to
study the molecular mechanisms that underlie the cognitive
and movement aspects of Parkinson’s disease, as well
as enhance the care and treatment of patients and training
of physicians. |
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The Penn Udall Center is the only center
to focus on dementia and Parkinson’s disease. |
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The Penn Udall Center is based on 20
years of basic research on neurodegenerative diseases within
the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research and clinical
programs at the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder
Center, both within the University of
Pennsylvania Health System. |
> |
The Udall Centers of Excellence were
developed in honor of former Congressman Morris K. Udall,
who died in 1998 after a long battle with Parkinson’s
disease. The first center was named in 1997. |
(PHILADELPHIA) – The University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine will receive $1.5 million annually from the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) over the next five
years to study the molecular mechanisms that underlie the cognitive and movement aspects of Parkinson’s disease, as well as enhance
the care and treatment of patients and training of physicians.
The Penn Udall Center is the only center to focus on dementia and
Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases,
second only to Alzheimer's
disease in the number of people affected.
Estimates suggest that approximately 750,000 Americans have Parkinson’s.
“This grant will enable us to better leverage our achievements
in clinical care for Parkinson’s patients with our strong background
in research on the basic sciences behind neurological disorders,” says
Center Director John Trojanowski, MD, PhD, Director of Penn’s Institute
on Aging. “The theme of the Udall grant is cognitive impairment,
a very much neglected aspect of Parkinson’s disease. This grant
will bring together movement disorder physicians with experts in cognition
and neuropsychiatry.”
“NINDS funding will help us build on our existing Parkinson’s
efforts as well as recruit new faculty to the research program,” says
Dr. Arthur Rubenstein, Executive Vice President of the University of
Pennsylvania for the Health System and Dean of the School of Medicine. “The
award is a testament to the characteristic collegiality and team approach
to science at Penn. This award will further add to our international
reputation for multidisciplinary research excellence in neurodegenerative
diseases of aging.”
The Penn Udall Center is based on 20 years of basic research on neurodegenerative
diseases within the Center
for Neurodegenerative Disease Research and
clinical programs at the Parkinson’s
Disease and Movement Disorders Center, both within the University
of Pennsylvania Health System.
Trojanowski will coordinate the Center’s overall operations and
conduct neuropathology and genetics research. Howard
Hurtig, MD, will
investigate potential markers of Parkinson’s-related neurodegeneration,
as well as lead educational efforts for physicians and the lay
community.
Andrew
Siderowf, MD, and Murray
Grossman, MD, will help mark out the
nature of cognitive impairments in Parkinson patients. Virginia
M.-Y. Lee, PhD, and Benoit Giasson, PhD,
will study the nature of these impairments in mouse models. Sharon
Xie, PhD, will oversee data
management and biostatistics for the initiative.
The Udall
Centers of Excellence were developed in honor of former
Congressman Morris K. Udall, who died in 1998 after a long battle with Parkinson’s
disease. The first center was named in 1997. Joining the existing 13
Centers, the Penn Udall Center has several objectives:
- Develop a new rating scale of activities of daily living for Parkinson’s
patients to distinguish between cognitive and motor impairments.
- Investigate
the neural basis of cognitive deficits in Parkinson’s
disease, using MRI, among other techniques.
- Conduct studies with
animal models of Parkinson’s disease to
elucidate the role of alpha-synuclein proteins in disease pathology.
- Study
the role of protein aggregations in Parkinson’s dementia
pathology.
“Most significantly, advances in understanding how the accumulation
of nerve-cell debris formed by the Lewy
body protein, alpha-synuclein,
causes motor and cognitive impairments in Parkinson’s disease are
leading to the identification of exciting new targets for drug
discovery aimed at stopping or slowing Parkinson’s,” says
Trojanowski. “The
Parkinson’s brain is flooded with deposits of alpha-synuclein misfolded
protein and understanding how this happens suggests several novel
therapies.”
One approach is to unclog the normal protein disposal mechanisms in
sick nerve cells so pathological alpha-synuclein is cleared and no longer
accumulates. This strategy will prevent sick nerve cells from being damaged
by the alpha-synuclein debris. Alternatively, reducing the amount of
pathological alpha-synuclein in sick nerve cells will help the normal
disposal mechanisms in the brain to work effectively. “These success
stories from the lab offer real hope for better patient therapies to
stop or slow the progression of Parkinson’s,” says Trojanowski
of the new Center’s overall aim.
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