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Technology and Health News > Monday, May-19-2008

Gene therapy could be an option in the near future



An experimental study opens a way for gene therapy as a possible treatment for cases that do not respond to medicines in cases of Epilepsy. Research on Brain.

Almost one third of people suffering from epilepsy don't respond to prescription drugs. To date, the only possibility for many of them is to undergo an operation to remove the area affected by the disease in the brain, but an alternative to surgery could rise by gene therapy.

An experimental study of the Department of Neuroscience of Mario Negri in Milan, led by Noah, has shown that it is possible to induce the sick cells to produce a protein with anticonvulsant properties. And what this substance does is significantly reduces the recurrence of seizures.

The research, conducted in collaboration with international groups led by Gunther Sperk University of Innsbruck (Austria), Asla Pitkanen University of Kuopio (Finland), and Matthew During dell'Ohio State University (USA), was just published on Brain magazine.



The neuroscientists have included a particular gene in the hippocampus of rats that had been induced epilepsy. The piece of DNA in question codes for the Neuropeptide Y, the anticonvulsant protein: "First we must identify the area of the brain where the seizures originate, for example using imaging techniques and electroencephalography," said Annamaria Vezzani, head of Laboratory of Experimental Neurology, "Once identified the brain area responsible we introduce the specific therapeutic gene into cells through a non-pathogenic virus."

The 40 per cent of the sample seems to respond well to treatment without toxic side-effects. The researchers also noted that the protein continues to be produced in the treated area for about a year, a time that corresponds to the length of life of the animals. The road to gene therapy to treat drug-resistant epilepsies is open!

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