What species of alpha-synuclein should be targeted for development of PD therapies?

Current theory suggests a possible toxic oligomeric or aggregated form of alpha-synuclein as the trigger for subsequent neurodegeneration in PD, but definitive evidence for this is lacking. Proposed therapeutic approaches focus predominately on breaking up aggregates, or attempt to reduce alpha-synuclein protein levels, either by inhibiting production (e.g, via RNA interference) or enhancing protein turnover. Given current understanding of alpha-synuclein, are these the best approaches for targeting alpha-synuclein therapeutically? What studies are needed to clarify the ideal alpha-synuclein target?

5 May 2009 05:09 PM EST
Ever since human genetic studies revealed alpha-synuclein as a gene linked to the development of PD (Polymeropoulos et al, 1997), researchers have been trying to identify exactly what it is about ... 
Responses: 2
1 Jul 2009 10:22 PM EST
Dr. Johnston raises some great points about the difficulties of targeting alpha-synuclein therapeutically. Despite some clear genetic links and the obvious hallmark pathology of ... 
2 Jul 2009 06:51 PM EST
Hello, I have heard about the following study, which form of alpha-synuclein was used and is there any more information on the outcomes of this study? ... 
Responses: 1
4 Jul 2009 10:41 AM EST
I belive Dr. Muralidhar is referring to a study by Masliah et al. (2005) who reported that vaccination of human alpha-synuclein transgenic mice with human alpha-synuclein was able to reduce ... 
8 Jan 2010 10:23 AM EST
Dr Johnston raises a key question that is what species should be targeted for development of PD therapies. There is convincing evidence that the major components of Lewy bodies are amyloid fibrils of ...