Researchers are recruiting patients for a trial of a new Parkinson’s treatment. Doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School are leading a clinical trial using gene therapy to try to relieve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The treatment is aimed at increasing the effectiveness of levodopa,  the mainstay  drug for  Parkinson’s.

 

The therapy  involves making a small hole in each side of the patient’s skull to insert a catheter into the region of the brain affected by the disease. Through that thin tube, the doctor will insert a gene for an enzyme that helps activate levadopa.

 

Researchers are recruiting up to 20 people for testing in Pittsburgh and in San Francisco. Patients between 40 and 70 who’ve had Parkinson’s disease for more than 5 years and have been taking levodopa for at least 3 years may be eligible to participate in the trial. 

 

For more information, contact Patricia Porter, B.S., at 412-648-8983 or Porterpm2@upmc.edu.