Edge Medicine

Gene therapist Matt During and his team of trans-pacific researchers have announced a “significant advance” in their search for a potentially revolutionary treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Published in the prestigious journal Science the findings derive from a technique of inserting a synthetic gene into the brain using an inactivated virus. In a world first, the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved a trial to test the therapy for safety on 12 people with severe Parkinson’s, after promising results in animal trials. Click here for the NZEDGE hot profile on During.