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New drug may fast-track treatment of Parkinson’s UNIVERSITY of Queensland researchers have developed a promising new antiinflammatory drug in a breakthrough they say could accelerate the path to new treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Lead author Dr Eduardo Albornoz Balmaceda, from UQ’s School of Biomedical Sciences, said tests in mouse models showed the new-generation oral drug blocked inflammation in the brain and improved motor function. “Inflammation acts like a slow-burning fire in the brain, progressively damaging the neurons that produce dopamine, the chemical which controls movement,” Dr Albornoz Balmaceda said. “Our study showed this drug, which targets part of the immune system called ‘inflammasomes’, reduced brain inflammation and prevented the disease from killing more neurons, therefore stopping its progression.” The team also used simultaneous positron
emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at UQ’s Centre for Advanced Imaging to track the drug’s impact in real time. “What’s most exciting is we could actually see these changes happening in the living brain,” Dr Albornoz Balmaceda said. “This imaging approach gives us a safe and powerful tool to track target engagement and disease progression, which is essential for designing future human clinical trials.” Senior author Professor Trent Woodruff, group leader of UQ’s Neuroinflammation Lab, said the findings marked a significant step in the search for disease-modifying therapies. “Parkinson’s is one of the fastest growing neurodegenerative diseases, and it is expected to impact more than 25 million people by 2050,” Professor Woodruff said. “Current therapies can alleviate symptoms but do not significantly slow or stop progression of the
Live brain imagery shows brain inflammation caused by Parkinson’s disease, and how the new drug reduced inflammation. Image: news.uq.edu.au
disease. This new class of drugs aims to do exactly that, and by combining it with cutting-edge PET/MRI biomarkers, we can measure whether it’s truly protecting the brain.” Brain scans in the study showed the typical loss of dopamine-containing neurons associated with
Parkinson’s disease, with signals improving after treatment. The drug was developed by Inflazome, a company spun out of UQ and Trinity College Dublin by Professor Luke O’Neill and co-corresponding author Professor Matt Cooper. Inflazome was established
in 2016 through UQ commercialisation company UniQuest and was later acquired by Roche. The research was supported by the NHMRC, Inflazome, The Michael J. Fox Foundation and Shake It Up Australia Foundation, and has been published in Brain.
Breast cancer stats revealed AROUND 21,000 Australians were living with metastatic breast cancer in 2024, according to first-of-its-kind national estimates released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The AIHW report, Metastatic breast cancer – first national estimates, puts the figure at about 20,800 women and 150 men. Metastatic breast cancer occurs when cancer spreads beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes to other parts of the body and is considered stage four and incurable, requiring ongoing treatment and support. AIHW spokesman Justin Harvey said the new estimates provide “increased visibility for a growing group of people who have specific health and community service needs”, after years in which the national picture could not be measured clearly. The condition can emerge months or years after an initial diagnosis. The AIHW expects numbers to rise over time and plans further work to examine growth rates, as part of efforts prioritised in the Australian Cancer Plan and the National Cancer Data Framework.
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