It was posted yesterday. I tried to copy & paste the link but it didn't work. Try going to foxnews.com & click on their Health section.
It doesn't refer to Parkinson's Plus specifically, but I found the info compelling and hopeful.
It does refer to tau protein, Lewy body dementia, and other familiar information.
Apparently they've been experimenting with mice by giving them a small dose of a medication to treat a particular form of leukemia and the results have been very positive.
The gist of it seems to be about cleansing the brain cells of the toxic proteins that build-up on them by using this drug, returning them to a normal cell.
Since the drug is already FDA approved, my impression was there is some excitement about possible human trials.
Whoever else should read the article, I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback.
Judy
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JudyJ
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Hi Judy!Thank you very much for sharing this with us.I searched the internet and according to this forbes.com/sites/alicegwalt... the clinical trials will include people with psp!Hopeful news!
I had some regret after I posted it, afraid I misunderstood and/or over-simplified the content. It's good to know others are interpreting it the same way. Yes, it could be a very hopeful situation.
hi judy just had a look at your findings from the news it looks very hopeful keep our fingers crossed they say the research will be published on 10th of may which has now gone will try and look it up thanks for the alert i would think that strelley would be very interested
that was from your old mate peter jones queenslanjd australia i got carried away by seeing it and forgot to sign off but must not get our hopes up to much yet
Thanks for posting the link for the FOX site. Am praying!
Peterjones thought I might be interested in this research. Well I've had a quick look and it sounds very interesting. The following is my understanding and I don't know if anyone really wants to knows the "ins and outs" of the research. The news item does say "potential" treatment, so we would have to wait and see, hopefully with optimism.
Some think that the death of neurons (and other brain cells) in PSP (and related diseases) can be attributed to the formation of "garbage" (called neurofibrilliary tangles plus other bits) as described in this research news. They have been successful in mice in "removing" (by a process called autophagocytosis) this garbage without destroyng the neurons (by using a drug called nilotinib - used normally to actually kill cancer cells in a certain type of leukaemia).
It sounds like a very useful clinical trial, and they say it can remove the tangles (caused proteins that have "gone wrong" and destabilised the neuron, causing cell death- those proteins are called tau in PSP/CBD and alpha synuclein in Parkinson's, and other proteins for other neurological diseases).
They have to use a small amount (about a thousand time less than for killing leukaemia cells) because they only want to remove the garbage without damaging the neuron itself.
It sounds exciting, but one must be reserved until it has had full clinical trials. The drug itself has some serious side effects.
I see a few reservations (but I'm not an expert in this field), and I don't want to sound negative but I guess I will!!!! The researcher admits that this drug should be used "early" in the disease, and we know that the tangles (garbage) can start 15-25 years before symptoms, so how early is early.
Then some feel the tau protein that forms into garbage (in PSP/CBD) starts out doing so as defence mechanism (that is, it's good and not bad). Then there is the problem of being successful in mice. If everything that has been successful in mice translated to success in humans we would have many cures by now. These research studies are often very controlled, and quite unlike the many complex mechanisms making up neurological diseases in the human brain. Finally, other current research has shown in autopsy PSP that some areas of the brain had lots of tau garbage, and little neuron death, while others had very little tau garbage and lots of neuron death. Such researchers think there are more factors that cause the PSP status than the conventional thinking of being tau garbage alone.
I was thinking of deleting all this because it sounds pessimistic, but someone may want to see how I approach such news as potential treatments for PSP.
If anyone reads this and sees errors in my statements, I would really welcome their input.
Let's trust this potential treatment does what it says in the clinical trials and we all see a light at the end of the tunnel particularly for those newly diagnosed with PSP and similar conditions.
To JudyJ, Thankyou for the question/post - For keeping us up to date with what you see, hear and read, You inspire and remind me at to think, ask, question and learn that there is something new to be found with each day.
Great article Judy. It's interesting that they are able to use drugs for varied diseases. I am hopeful that they will begin using it on humans as soon as they are able. I'm glad you're doing all the research. Makes it easier to sit and read the relevant articles. Hope you are enjoying the day. Up here in northern MN we still have ice on the lakes. It made for a good day to read.
Thanks. I hope it turns out to be a useful treatment, Godspeed.
BTW, I come from a long line of fisherman, in which opening weekend for walleye season is something close to sacred. I've been reading about the ice on the lakes up there.
Last night, there was a video on KSTP (local ABC affiliate) showing ice flows on Mille Lacs being driven on shore by the wind up to houses. If you missed it give it a look; here's the link: kstp.com/article/stories/S3...
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Hope you are on the mend!
A helpful gadget I just happened to find...
Admiral Nurse
An interesting read on Botox Therapy from CurePSP. For those of you not on Facebook. 
Trazodone treats tau?
