The drug, known as GPI-1046, is being tested on rhesus monkeys. Experiments with rats and mice show it can regenerate certain types of nerves in the brain, researchers said. People with Parkinson's can shake uncontrollably and have trouble walking. About 1.5 million Americans have the nerve disorder, which strikes mostly middle-age and older people. In Parkinson's patients, brain cells that make the chemical dopamine are dying.
Drugs help, but the process is considered irreversible.
GPI-1046 has been found to stimulate existing nerves in the brain to branch out and produce the chemical. Drug tested in rodents The drug has been tested in rodents whose brains have been damaged to simulate the effects of Parkinson's. Researchers hope eventually to test the drug on human volunteers in the early or moderate stages of Parkinson's to stop the progression or even reverse signs of the disease. This compound apparently enters the brain, at least of rodents, when it's given by mouth, and that is spectacular. One researcher told CNN that the new compound is potentially very promising, although he predicted any benefit to people with Parkinson's could be 10 years away.