Parkinson's Disease Research Boosted
PARKINSON'S DISEASE RESEARCH RECEIVES $2 MILLION BOOST

UCSD has received a $1.98 million grant to direct a national clinical trial for Parkinson's disease. The study will to test the potential of a compound called coenzyme Q-10, now synthesized and sold as a dietary supplement, to slow progression of the disease.

     The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has awarded the UCSD School of Medicine a $1.98 million grant to direct a national clinical trial for Parkinson's disease, a progressively disabling neurological disorder marked by rigidity of the muscles, slowness of movement, tremors and a shuffling gait. The three-year study is designed to test the potential of a compound called coenzyme Q-10, now synthesized and sold as a dietary supplement, to slow progression of the disease. Coenzyme Q-10 (Co-Q) is a natural part of mitochondria-the parts of cells that produce energy for the body-and can eliminate certain toxins the body produces that may injure cells. This clinical study is a direct outgrowth of previous laboratory and animal research, conducted primarily at UCSD School of Medicine with collaboration from investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital. This laboratory research showed impaired mitochondrial function and a corresponding deficit of Co-Q in patients with early Parkinson's disease. The subsequent animal research demonstrated in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease that supplemental Co-Q reduced the damage to the dopaminergic system, which is the part of the brain affected in Parkinson's disease.

"A goal of our ongoing research is to develop better treatments for Parkinson's disease," said Clifford Shults, M.D., UCSD professor of neurosciences and principal investigator for the Co-Q study.

"Too often, usually because of a lack of funding, interesting and promising research stays in the laboratory. We're excited to be able to bring this work to patients where it can be tested for its potential as a new method to slow the progression of this devastating disease," said Shults. He conducted the earlier research with colleagues Richard Haas, M.D., UCSD professor of neurosciences; and Flint Beal, M.D., formerly at Massachusetts General Hospital and now chairman of neurology at Cornell School of Medicine. About 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year, and an estimated 500,000 to 1.5 million Americans are affected at any one time. The disease strikes men and women in almost equal numbers, usually affecting people over the age of 50. Society pays an enormous price for Parkinson's disease. According to the National Parkinson Foundation, the total cost to the nation is estimated to exceed $5.6 billion annually. The Co-Q study will be carried out at 12 sites nationwide. UCSD will direct the study, but is not an enrolling site. Eighty participants with early Parkinson's disease, who do not yet require treatment of their disease, will be followed for up to 16 months. Participants will receive one of three doses of Co-Q (300, 600 or 1200 mg per day) or placebo. For further information about the study, call Sandra Plumb at the study's national coordinating center, (716) 275-7311. Shults is also chief of neurology with the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, and director of the National Parkinson Foundation "Center of Excellence" at UCSD and the Salk Institute.--