New hereditary gene linked to Parkinson's disease
UCL scientists have discovered a new gene implicated in the early development of Parkinson's disease. In a study of families with early onset disease, Professor Nick Wood and colleagues at UCL's Institute of Neurology identified a novel gene which produces a malfunctioning protein that could pave the way for new treatments for Parkinson sufferers. The international study involving 14 research centres, published today in Science Express, mapped the genes in two Italian and one Spanish family where cousins had married and produced offspring. Following earlier work tracing the chromosome location of the gene responsible for this form of familial Parkinson's disease, researchers were able to pin