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Vaccine looks promising in Parkinson's disease June, 2004 -- An animal study shows that a vaccine can protect the brain from Parkinson's disease. Treatments for Parkinson's disease only deal with the symptoms - they cannot either prevent or reverse the loss of dopamine-producing cells that is the hallmark of the condition. Once these cells are lost, various movement problems set in, such as tremor and loss of control. Researchers at the University of Nebraska, USA, now reveal that a vaccine can prevent the loss of dopamine producing cells in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease. The vaccine is based on a molecule called copaxone and, when it is injected, the immune system becomes activated. This appears to be enough to stop the loss of the dopamine neurons. However, there is a long way to go before it's proved that such a vaccine could work in humans. Source Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist (http://www.healthandage.com)
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