The University of Florida Movement Disorders Center
(UFMDC) was established at the Evelyn F. and William
L. McKnight Brain Institute in July 2002, to bring together UF
doctors and researchers with special expertise in Parkinson's
disease, tremors, dystonia and other movement disorders. The UFMDC is a National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence, a Tyler's Hope Center for Comprehensive Dystonia Care and a National Ataxia Foundation Center of Excellence.
Together, the findings suggest that gene therapy to enable the brain to retain its ability to produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that falls in critically short supply in Parkinson’s patients, could be safely attempted during earlier stages of the disease with an added likelihood of success.
…
“We have worked every day for 10 years to design a construct to the gene delivery vector that enhances the safety profile of gene transfer for Parkinson’s disease,” said Ronald Mandel, a professor of neuroscience at UF’s McKnight Brain Institute and the Powell Gene Therapy Center. “With that added measure of safety, we believe we can intervene with gene transfer in patients at earlier stages of the disease. We strongly believe that trials to save dopamine-producing connections in patients with Parkinson’s disease have failed because the therapy went into patients who were in the late stages of the disease and who had too few remaining dopamine-producing connections.”
…
“With this technique, you could adjust the therapy in the patient,” said Fredric P. Manfredsson, a postdoctoral associate in UF’s department of neuroscience. “That would be extremely helpful because no one is really certain yet what dosage is required for a protective effect in humans. The process is also much more sensitive than we had imagined it would be. GDNF production can be shut down completely with a dose of doxycycline that is much smaller than what is commonly prescribed.”
Excerpt from UF Health Science Center News Article:
A growth factor used in clinical experiments to rescue dying brain cells in Parkinson patients may cause unwanted weight loss if delivered to specific areas of the brain, according to University of Florida researchers in the March online edition of Molecular Therapy.
The discovery is a cautionary warning for experimental treatments to treat Parkinson’s disease that use GDNF, short for glial line-derived neurotrophic growth factor.
In addition, the finding broadens understanding of the brain’s role in the regulation of metabolism and body weight, suggesting that gene therapy techniques in the brain potentially could control obesity.
Excerpt from UF Health Science Center News article:
Doctors may be able to tailor a specialized form of brain surgery to more closely match the needs of Parkinson patients, according to results from the first large-scale effort to compare the two current target areas of deep brain stimulation surgery, or DBS.
Called the COMPARE Trial, the National Institutes of Health-funded study conducted at the University of Florida evaluated 45 patients for mood and cognitive changes related to DBS. UF investigators found that DBS in either brain target effectively treated motor symptoms such as tremors, stiffness and slowness. However, DBS also produced unique effects depending on the target location, especially in patients’ moods and mental sharpness.
Medicine -
Our physicians see dozens of patients each week in the UF Movement
Disorders Clinic.
Surgery -
University of Florida neurosurgeons use deep brain stimulation and
other techniques to treat patients with Parkinson's Disease and other
movement disorders
Education -
Fellows, medical students, graduate students and pre-meds learn about
movement disorders while working at the UFMDC and shadowing our physicians.
Research -
Researchers from multiple disciplines work together to find new and
better treatments for movement disorders while looking for causes
and cures.
Why go to the University of Florida for your Parkinson's or
Movement Disorders surgery?
Answer: Because the UFMDC has one of the largest interdisciplinary teams
in the world dedicated to making sure your deep brain stimulation device
is placed correctly.
You will see a fellowship trained movement disorders neurologist, a
fellowship trained movement disorders neurosurgeon, and you will receive
the best possible medical optimization. Additionally, you will have access
to a complete interdisciplinary team of experts in every area (speech,
voice, walking, balance, memory, depression/anxiety disorders, rehabilitation,
driving, occupational therapy, etc.) who specialize in the care of Parkinson's
and Movement Disorder Patients.
We will ensure you are the right candidate,
and discuss with you in detail what symptoms we think you can expect
to improve with a deep brain stimulation surgical therapy. Your case
will be discussed in detail with the interdisciplinary team prior to
any surgical intervention. In addition we will provide a top-notch operating
room experience with a neurologist, microelectrode multiple pass mapping,
and careful imaging and guidance for the proper placement of your device.
After it is implanted you will have full access to a dedicated staff
for programming and followup of your medication and DBS needs. Should
you have any problems we are always available to help you.
More About the UFMDC
Together, the findings suggest that gene therapy to enable the brain to retain its ability to produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that falls in critically short supply in Parkinson’s patients, could be safely attempted during earlier stages of the disease with an added likelihood of success.
Excerpt from UF Health Science Center News article:
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