Page 12 - Eclipse - RVC Alumni Magazine - Autumn 2020

Research into Parkinson新月直播檚 disease to be pioneered by the RVC and UCL with $7 million grant
Researchers at the RVC and UCL are launching a pioneering new study into the causes and progression of Parkinson新月直播檚
disease, following a $7 million grant from the Aligning Science Across Parkinson新月直播檚 (ASAP) initiative.
Parkinson新月直播檚 disease is a progressive disease of brain degeneration that occurs when brain cells that make dopamine,
a chemical that coordinates movement, either stop working or die. This causes people with Parkinson新月直播檚 to develop slowness, tremors, stiffness, and walking and balance problems. Parkinson新月直播檚 affects over 130,000 people in the UK alone, and currently available treatments act only to alleviate symptoms, but not slow progression of the disease. This significant grant will enable the research team to explore the possibilities of future prevention and treatment of the condition.
The researchers at the RVC, led by Dr Patrick Lewis, Professor of Neuroscience, have been awarded $659,000 from ASAP to use cellular and biochemical approaches to investigate the role of the LRRK2 gene in Parkinson新月直播檚.
Mutations in the LRRK2 gene are the most common genetic cause of Parkinson新月直播檚, making it a priority drug
target for the disease, however the molecular details of how this gene
can influence the progression of neurodegeneration in Parkinson新月直播檚 have not yet been fully explored.
Dr Patrick Lewis said: 新月直播淭he Aligning Science Across Parkinson新月直播檚 foundation grants represent a new way of approaching research into Parkinson新月直播檚, with the clear goal of accelerating progress in our understanding of this disorder. It is a real privilege to be involved in this initiative.新月直播�
Professor Jonathan Elliott, Vice-Principal (Research and Innovation) at the RVC, said: 新月直播淭he RVC is delighted to be
part of this large collaborative effort
to advance treatments for Parkinson新月直播檚 Disease. Neurodegenerative conditions significantly impact on the quality of life of our ageing human population in the UK and Professor Lewis新月直播� role in this collaboration is exciting in its potential
to uncover new drug targets to slow progressive loss of functioning neurons."
RVC research could hold the key to tendon treatment
Arecent RVC study, which examined protein turnover rates in the tendons of rats, found that tendons are a dynamic tissue with varying turnover rates of proteins 新月直播� a discovery that may eventually provide a greater understanding of how tendon disease and other connective tissue disorders can be treated.
Previous research had shown that
the interfascicular matrix, which forms part of the tendon and is the structure surrounding and separating fascicles, allows sliding between fascicles. This means that it may be prone to damage.
Building upon these findings, the recent study, led by Dr Chavaunne Thorpe, Versus Arthritis Career Development Fellow at the RVC, sought to establish if the turnover rate of proteins in the interfascicular matrix
is greater than in the fascicles, which would help repair any damage.
Researchers fed rats labelled 新月直播榟eavy新月直播� water to allow for the identification of newly synthesised proteins and collected separate samples from fascicles and
interfascicular matrix regions of the rats新月直播� Achilles tendons using laser-assisted microdissection. They used mass spectrometry and bioinformatics to calculate the turnover rates of individual proteins identified within the fascicles and interfascicular matrix.
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