Fwd: Breakthrough?

[Guest guest]

FYI (see www.brainlab.fi)

NEW STUDY REVEALS POTENTIAL FOR RADICAL NEW TREATMENT OF PARALYSIS AND

BRAIN DISEASE

—Study suggests wide-ranging applications; Findings could impact

millions with spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer's disease, ALS,

Parkinson's disease and other debilitating illnesses—

Helsinki, Finland, July 25, 2005 – A study released today could reveal

the key to treating nearly 140 million people worldwide who suffer from

spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer's disease, ALS and other devastating

neurological diseases.

The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience Research, shows how

a protein called KDI tri-peptide (KDI) can block the harmful effects of

a substance called glutamate that is present in all degenerative brain

diseases and spinal cord injuries, causing permanent cell death and

preventing the repair of damaged nerve connections. Glutamate is

produced as part of the body's natural reaction to central nervous

system damage.

In the new study, researchers at the Brain Laboratory at the University

of Helsinki (www.brainlab.fi) and at the nie B. Byrd, Sr.,

Alzheimer's Center & Research Institute in Tampa, Fla show KDI to be a

potent and wide-ranging blocker of glutamate's damaging chemical

processes. It therefore has a tremendous ability to protect the brain

and spinal cord from cell death and even enable regrowth.

Human clinical trials are expected to begin as soon as next year. No

toxic side effects have been seen in studies so far, and the Finnish

researchers do not expect any since KDI occurs naturally in the human

body, including in the central nervous system. An added advantage is

that KDI can be easily synthesised, therefore avoiding the problems

associated with human cell donation.

Paralysis reversal in rats offered clues to wide-ranging applications

The new findings follow from previous studies in which KDI, when

injected into the spines of paralyzed rats, produced dramatic results.

The rats were able to bear weight and walk again after only 3 months.

Further laboratory experiments showed that KDI also had the ability to

promote regrowth of nerves in damaged areas and to prevent brain cell

death. These results paved the way for new research with human cells.

In the new study, Dr. Päivi Liesi, M.D., Ph.D., and her research team

applied KDI to human brain cells in the laboratory to see if KDI's

extraordinary ability to prevent nerve cell death and promote

regeneration could be connected to its unexpected effect on the

glutamate system. The study concludes that KDI is able to block various

forms of glutamate function – leading researchers to believe that it may

have wide-ranging applications.

" The wider significance of this research is that KDI treatment may

become the first natural and targeted therapy for people with central

nervous system injuries resulting in paralysis and a range of diseases

such as Alzheimer's and ALS, for which there are currently no cures, "

said Dr. Liesi, head of the Brain Laboratory and a former visiting

scientist at the National Institutes of Health.

New approach could fast-track to real results

Dr. Liesi's long-term focused research has built upon an original

discovery by , Ph.D., former scientific director for the

National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health. Dr.

first discovered the molecule known as laminin, that KDI is

derived from. Dr. Liesi identified laminin's role in the nervous system

and was able to isolate KDI from the larger molecule. After intensive

study of its effects in the central nervous system, she began to

recognise KDI's enormous therapeutic potential.

" One of the wonderful things about this is that Dr. Liesi's discoveries

are ready now for prime-time testing in patients. We do not have to go

through a long drug development procedure that might take 10 years, "

said Dr. . " This represents a new approach and one with

considerable promise, particularly because it could be applied and

tested rapidly with a variety of disorders. The ability to treat

degenerative brain diseases and spinal cord injuries with a substance

that naturally occurs in the body is revolutionary. "

" I am excited by the potential clinical uses of KDI and by the prospect

of clinical testing, " said Dr. Victor Krauthamer, Ph.D., a former

research collaborator of Dr. Liesi, speaking as an independent

scientist. Dr. Krauthamer also is research scientist at the U.S. Food

and Drug Administration, Center for Devices and Radiological Health. " If

these results play out in further trials, and there is a true treatment

for a variety of currently untreatable neurological diseases, this could

be one of the greatest discoveries in treating neurological conditions

in the last 50 years. "

Dr. Liesi conducts her current research in close collaboration with the

nie B. Byrd, Sr., Alzheimer's Center & Research Institute in Tampa,

Fla. The Byrd Institute is dedicated to helping and coordinating

research, as well as building national and international collaborations.

The goal of this productive international collaboration is to transform

research results into practical clinical applications as quickly as

possible, delaying the disease's onset, and ultimately slowing or even

halting the disease's progression. Visit http://www.floridaalz.org for

more details about the Byrd Institute's ongoing efforts.

Details of Dr. Liesi's research and further information can be found at

http://www.brainlab.fi, a site affiliated with the University of

Helsinki. The University is one of the centers of excellence among

universities in Europe, concentrating on high-level scientific research

and researcher education. The results produced through the research and

teaching carried out at the University are widely acclaimed worldwide.