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[email protected] Scientists Working to Develop Vaccine for Parkinson’s Disease SEPTEMBER 2010 Research a hope for millions with incurable condition Inside this issue HOUSTON - (Aug. 5, 2010) - Nina Brown, 68, and millions of others with a debilitating Parkinson’s Vaccine 2 neurological condition called Parkinson’s disease are counting on researchers for a cure. World Parkinson Congress 2 At The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), protein chemists are working to develop a therapeutic vaccine. New HAPS tai chi class 2 Upcoming Events 3 Parkinson’s disease is a chronic disorder that worsens over time and can rob people of HAPS Exercise & 4-5 their ability to perform everyday tasks. Named after the English doctor who described the Support Group Schedule condition almost 200 years ago, its symptoms often include tremors or shaking, slow Ask the Advocate 6 movements, stiffness in arms and legs, drooling, slurred speech and unsteadiness. Contributions & Tributes 7 “We’re creating a vaccine to target a protein that accumulates in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease,” said Rowen Chang, Ph.D., who is the professor leading the research project at the UT Health Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Disease (IMM). “If we can slow the protein buildup, I believe we will MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT! also slow the deterioration of nerve cells tied to body movement.” The protein is alpha synuclein. Dance for Parkinson’s and People with Parkinson’s disease may appear to be fixed in their facial expressions, stooped forward in their posture and may even appear to be intoxicated to others because of their postural instability.