Supported by the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences (HMA), Prof. Omar El-Agnaf, Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), and his research team concluded the study entitled “The role of alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease: from molecular pathways in the disease to therapeutic approaches”.
Prof. Omar El-Agnaf praised the HMA’s support for the scientific research, particularly such an integrated study, which was completed within two and a half years focuses on the impact of the derivatives of Tetracycline and Phenothiazines and other compounds extracted from the medicinal herbs, widely used in the popular Chinese medicine, to treat neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease. The dysfunction and accumulation of alpha-synuclein in the brain play a key factor in causing Parkinson’s disease and other related neurological diseases associated with damage to the nerve cells.
“The study proves the important role played by some of these compounds in protecting the nervous cells which are responsible for the production of "Dopamine", a neurotransmitter which is primarily responsible for controlling the motor functions in human bodies. Also, the study monitored the ability of forty compounds extracted from the Chinese medicinal plants and identified four of them that can curb the dysfunction of the protein “alpha-synuclein” protein in cells and animal models of Parkinson’s disease. The accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein in the brains of patients causes many clinical symptoms, such as tremors, muscle stiffness and overall rigidity, primarily affecting one’s motor skills, Prof. Omar El Agnaf said.
“The study is not limited to providing just symptom relief solutions to the disease but rather it goes beyond that with the aim of battling the challenges of the disease leading to overall life management. The molecular dimension of the study has enabled us to understand the mechanism of pathogenicity of Parkinson’s on experimental animals. Such an achievement paves the way in the future to create a reliable and relatively inexpensive therapy to slow down the progression of the disease which in return would lead to an improved quality of life for the patients. We hope to achieve this after we conduct intensive studies to ensure the treatments effectiveness and safety in humans,” he added.
Dr. Ali Rashid Al Noaimi, UAEU Vice Chancellor, praised the role of HMA in supporting the local and international medical sectors, particularly the scientific research. Also, he commended the researchers for their work and referred to the university efforts to utilize its expertise and resources to find out solutions to the world’s most pressing problems locally, regionally and internationally.
On the other hand, Prof. Najib Al Khaja, Secretary General of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, expressed his happiness towards such an impressive result which contributes to opening a new door to finding a promising treatment for Parkinson's disease, one of the most devastating neurological diseases that is currently affecting thousands of people and their families.
“Supporting Scientific Research, particularly this study, comes within the framework of the strategy of the Hamdan Medical Award to enhance the methods of scientific research in the UAE through its research support center, whose budget is more than AED 2 million in each term of the Award. Scientific research is a main criterion for measuring the development and advancement of nations,” Prof. Al Khaja said.
Also, Al Khaja praised the study, the efforts exerted by the research team, and the fruitful and constructive cooperation between Hamdan Medical Award and the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAEU, in the field of the scientific research. He said, “United Arab Emirates University is considered one of the most important scientific institutes within the UAE. The University gives great interest towards scientific medical research which is positively reflected on the efficiency of its medical professionals and the medical services provided which has qualified the University to receive numerous awards and recognitions.”
It should be noted that following Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in the world among the diseases associated with the damaging of nerve cells. Many statistics prove the steady increase in the rate of incidence of the disease worldwide. Also, the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease is highly correlated with ageing. The annual rate of incidence in the age group of 65 to 69 is 600 per 100,000. Such a rate is increased among people whose age is above 85 years, up to approximately 2,600 patients annually. Till this day the specific cause of Parkinson’s disease is unknown as it ranges from environmental pollution to genetic factors.
