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Parkinson’s gene therapy restores responses to dopamine-boosting drug in mouse models

November 5, 2021

Levodopa, the commonly prescribed dopamine-restoring drug for Parkinson’s disease, loses its effectiveness over time. Researchers at Northwestern University say they’ve found a potential method for reviving the drug’s benefits: gene therapy.

The researchers restored the ability of neurons to convert levodopa into dopamine in mice with a gene therapy that targets the substantia nigra region of the brain. By effectively recreating a healthy environment in the brain, the therapy eliminated abnormal brain activity that causes movement difficulties in Parkinson’s patients, the team reported in Nature.

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