Parkinson’s disease was first identified in 1817 by Dr. James Parkinson. Today, scientists understand that the tremors, slowness of movement, pain and difficult speaking and thinking are linked to the death of one group of nerve cells.
Richard Mailman, a professor of pharmacology and neurology at UVA, says the standard treatment is a drug called levodopa.
“The use of levodopa involves something called a honeymoon period, where patients have really remarkable symptomatic relief for maybe ten years, but that requires those dopamine nerve cells to still be alive, and as they continue to die the levodopa can’t work as well," he explains.
Levadopa binds to the surface of so-called D-2 receptors on nerve cells, but Mailman thought maybe a drug that targets D-1 receptors might be better. It took years to develop and test a medication that proved promising.
“What we saw in the studies with D-1 agonists of this type were dramatic effects, and when you see that you just can give up on it," Mailman says.
But in early trials it caused a dangerous drop in blood pressure. Then, a doctor from Emory University contacted Mailman and proposed that the drug be injected under the skin – beginning with a low dose and building up. Her colleagues launched another study of the new compound.
“Dr. Huang’s clinical study makes us predict that people who take this drug will be able to stay functional for far longer than they can now with levodopa," says Mailman.
Today, Xuemei Huang is chairman of UVA’s department of neurology. She and Mailman are celebrating the launch of this new treatment and nearly 28 years of marriage. They hope the new drug, called Juvmo or tavapadon, will help patients with Parkinson’s and inspire greater investment in scientific research.
"It’s been a rocky time for us the last few years." Mailman observes. "This breakthrough is a reminder that it takes a while, and you need support from the public, not just the scientists."
He says the new drug may also be useful in treating Alzheimer’s and other degenerative neurological diseases, so more studies are needed.
