Researchers at the University of Exeter intend to investigate whether blocking inflammation in the brains of people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) could lead to new treatments.
PD is a neurological condition that progressively damages parts of the brain and is estimated to affect around 145,000 people in the UK.
Previous studies have found that inflammation may play a key role in the death of dopamine-producing brain cells in PD, which accelerates the development and progression of the condition.
As well as understanding more about the cause of PD, researchers also aim to determine whether a new medicine designed to block inflammation in the brain could be safe and beneficial for patients living with the disease.
The research, which is funded by Roche, will involve two clinical trials, the first being led by the University of Exeter’s Neurodegeneration Imaging Group, using brain imaging to understand whether people living with PD are more likely to experience brain inflammation.
The second, early-stage clinical trial will aim to test whether Roche’s new medicine, Selnoflast, is able to block brain inflammation in people with PD in a safe and effective way and will be led by the University of Exeter, along with the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
If successful, further, larger studies could be encouraged to occur to build evidence that this approach is beneficial in treating PD.
Professor Marios Politis, who leads the research group at the University of Exeter, said: “If our results are positive, we would know much more about the mechanisms involved in the disease developing… potentially helping us design new and better medicines.”
Researchers are currently looking for people with PD to participate in the second clinical study.
Professor David Dexter, director of research at Parkinson’s UK, commented: “We are excited to see these studies starting in the UK.
“We are also investing in developing drugs that target inflammation through our Virtual Biotech programme and believe this approach could lead to new treatments that can slow, stop or reverse Parkinson’s.”