14 DAY TRIAL // People at risk of developing Parkinson's disease may benefit from a therapy based on a new peptide, which was shown in recent tests conducted on mice to be capable of stopping and preventing the progression of the motor disorder.
The molecule may have the same effect in people who already have the condition, but there is no way of knowing that for sure until human clinical trials begin. The research is however in its earliest stages.
What scientists at the Tel Aviv University can reveal for certain is that the peptide can be administered either through daily injections – similar to how diabetes patients take their insulin – or through adhesive skin patches, which allow the substance to move through skin pores, PsychCentral reports.
The peptide works by protecting dopamine-producing neurons in the brain, a group of cells that are damaged by Parkinson's disease. These nerve cells are lost through normal aging as well, but at a much slower rate.