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A NEW DRUG could halt the effect of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other brain disorders according to scientists in the UK.
The researchers revealed today that they had a drug that in mice helped prevent prion disease and may also work on other brain disorders.
Still at a very early and experimental stage, the drug blocks disruption of the brain’s defence system, something that boosts neurodegenerative disease.
Many of these crippling and tragic diseases start with the buildup of rogue, scrunched-up proteins in the brain. The organ’s response to this is to switch on a defence mechanism called the unfolded protein response, or UPR.
The mechanism orders cells to stop producing new proteins so that the problem is not worsened. But the buildup of misshapen proteins prevents the UPR mechanism from being switched off.
As a result, the misshapen proteins are no longer made, but nor are normal proteins that are essential for brain-cell survival. Neurons start to die, are not replenished, and the disease progresses.
British researchers, reporting in the US journal Science Translational Medicine, tested a drug that works on a key point in this switching pathway, an enzyme called PERK, to keep protein production open.
‘Buoyed by the success’
Made by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline the drug was tested on 29 mice with prion disease, a family of disorders that includes Creuzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).
These were compared against a group of “control” mice, whose brain had also been infected with prions but did not receive the drug.
Mice that were treated seven weeks after being infected with the prions suffered no memory loss in a test to recognise a familiar object, but those treated at nine weeks lost their memory.
The mice were killed and autopsied, and examination of samples under a microscope confirmed that brain-cell death among all the treated mice was very low, although less so among the nine-week group.
The University of Leicester team, say they are hugely buoyed by the success, although many more years of tests lie ahead.
“We were extremely excited when we saw the treatment stop the disease in its tracks and protect brain cells, restoring some normal behaviours and preventing memory loss in the mice,” said Giovanna Mallucci, a professor of toxicology.
“We’re still a long way from a usable drug for humans – this compound had serious side effects,” Mallucci told Britain’s Press Association.
If the drug eventually progressed to human patients, people would need treatment “for years or even decades in many cases,” the study also cautioned.
In a commentary carried in the same journal, neuroscientists Wiep Scheper and Jeroen Hoozemans of the Free University of Amsterdam said the research may have thrown open “a new therapeutic strategy.”
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I’m pretty sure there must be some system in place for a US court to request an Irish to supply a warrant to hand over this type of information. And I can’t imagine there would be much reason for the Irish court to refuse in a case involving drugs. So it just seems like the US court is setting this terrible precedent because they couldn’t be bothered going through the proper channels.
Or am I missing something?
The article mentions a process called the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty which facilitates these kinds of requests but apparently US prosecutors never contacted the Irish authorities….
I get a very clear picture that this is a channel they have been trying to open for a while because it’s not as constrictive in terms of it’s scope as the Treaty on what they could look for in the future once precedent is set.
Very troubling stuff really.
US law is not enforceable in the EU. We have something called Data Protection. Maybe Microsoft should use the IRS approach and say the Data servers crashed and wasn’t backed up so we lost it. If it works FOR the government, it should work FOR Microsoft. Or perhaps the US government could just ask NSA for the data? sure they record everything and anything they can intercept. if Microsoft do hand hand over the data then they will be breaking Irish Data Protection laws
John you are correct. Ireland does not cooperate with the 5 eyes network except in specific investigations where real probable cause is demonstrated to us.
The US has basically eliminated all of it’s protections esp the 4th ammendment and now they expect us to eliminate ours to make it easier for them to hovver up data, well we won’t be allowing it.
Any government in Ireland that was caught doing the kind of mass surveillance common in the US now would be out of office with angry mobs in the streets very quickly and they know that.
We may be a laundrette for their companies for taxes but were not going to be one for their police state, they can follow the process of get nothing.
You’re mistaken, you should look up the ECHELON agreement which the Irish government signed up to back in the last century.
Angry mobs in the streets? I doubt it! Irish people never got out in the streets to protest bank bailout, cuts to disability services, cuts to health services etc! Angry mobs are needed but not in irish psyche it seems!
You really really believe that? I don’t! The meek Irish who will just roll over and die for every politco that drives a unpalletable and hard barghain at them? They’ve NEVER stood up for themselves.. and never will.
NOT EVERYBODY IS A CRIMINAL.WE NEED OUR PRIVACY SO RESPECT IT.
Have you not heard. In the US you are guilty until proven innocent and even then you can still be jailed.
The USA will use their war on Drugs and terrorism to justify their big brother and bully-boy tactics. We have a department of Data protection and as far as I know, the ball is in their court.
This is nonsense. The data is in Ireland, then only the irish courts can release. The us needs to be told this in no uncertain terms. Their boarders are the end of their legal rights just like ours.
So are the emails to do with some international high profile drug dealer or some corner hustler?
Am, No.
We have a minister for data protection ?. Seriously …..
We have one for almost everything else.
Tor
Funny one this. As multinationals, the corporations can store data in privacy friendly jurisdictions to avoid scrutiny by more investigative jurisdictions. This case may be between two western nations over emails, but what if child porn could be disseminated out of Guatemala due to a friendly local administration and so was above reproach? Like different tax codes in different jurisdictions, corporations will pick & choose countries that best serve their bottom line, not necessarily what best serves their customers.
Microsoft are incorporated in the USA and would be required to comply with court orders there. Similarly the directors could held liable for non-compliance.
Yes, and by virtue of the fact that the data is physically stored on servers in Ireland means that it is subject to Irish Data Protection laws. If they hand over the data they are in breach of our laws.
Not just our laws, but European laws.
i think data belonging to any European citizen cannot leave europe
It can leave the EU under the safe harbour agreement between EU and USA
No worries. Ireland is the 51st state anyway in all but name so US court jurisdiction over it is a given. Of more interest is the sham of court intrusion because every email is automatically scanned by US and UK intelligence services. EVERY EMAIL. On the Internet absolutely nothing is sacred. In a digital world, there are no rights. We’re simply witnessing the death throes of the old analogue world order.
Surprised the Irish government weren’t joined as notice parties to the case in the US. That would have allowed them to put their case to the judge.
this is bullishit, data belong to the people, and storage location does not matter. Also, asking for data with warrant is not what worries us when we think of Microsoft, Google, Facebook.
this is bullishit, data belong to the people, and storage location does not matter. Also, asking for data with warrant is not what worries us when we think of Microsoft, Google, Facebook….
have your say