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New Parkinson’s gene discovered


February 25, 2011

Drs. Dennis Bulman, David Grimes and colleagues have identified a rare mutation in a gene called PARL that may contribute to Parkinson’s disease. The group’s initial laboratory work suggested a link between PARL and two well-known Parkinson’s genes and our cellular energy factories (called mitochondria). The new work, published in Human Molecular Genetics, explains the link in more detail and also reveals a PARL mutation in a small number of Parkinson’s patients, but not in a control group. This discovery provides important new insight into Parkinson’s and could help with the development of new treatments.

Dr. Bulman is a Senior Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. See Dr. Bulman’s web profile for details.