Source: Ottawa Health Research Institute
Date: July 28, 2008
Summary:
New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals a key link between a gene involved in Parkinson’s disease and genes that regulate iron metabolism during red blood cell production, thus opening up a potential avenue for developing new therapies. The discovery results from a collaboration between Ottawa scientist Dr. Michael Schlossmacher and colleagues in the United States. Dr. Schlossmacher and his collaborators made the surprising discovery that the alpha-synuclein gene was expressed at high levels in red blood cells as well as in brain cells.
