OCTOBER 31 • 2019 | 51
R
esearchers know muta-
tions to the BRCA1
and BRCA2 genes,
increasing a woman’
s chanc-
es of getting breast cancer,
are more common among
Ashkenazic women than
women in the general popu-
lation.
“Today, researchers are
investigating another gene
mutation, this time related
to Parkinson’
s disease (PD),
which may also be linked to
the Ashkenazic population,”
says Peter A.
LeWitt, director
of Parkinson’
s
disease research
at Henry Ford
Hospital and
neurology pro-
fessor at Wayne
State University School of
Medicine.
Parkinson’
s disease is a pro-
gressive nervous disorder that
affects movement. Symptoms
start gradually, often with a
slight tremor in one hand,
and then become worse as
the patient’
s condition pro-
gresses. Although PD can’
t
be cured, some medications
may significantly improve its
symptoms. Doctors may also
suggest surgery to improve
symptoms by regulating cer-
tain regions of the brain.
The cause of Parkinson’
s
disease is unknown, but
many researchers believe it
is caused by a combination
of factors, some based on
genetics and others more
influenced by environmental
factors. However, because
not everyone who carries
these genetic mutations will
get Parkinson’
s, it is thought
other factors such as the
environment (pesticides) and
age (usually around age 60 or
older) play an important role.
Also, more men develop PD
than women.
“Over the past decade,
researchers have identified
a handful of genes in which
genetic mutations greatly
increase the risk,” LeWitt
says. “The most common is
the mutated version of kinase
2 (LRRK2), which is respon-
sible for 1-2 percent of PD
cases but is much higher in
people with Ashkenazi Jewish
ancestry.”
Pharmaceutical compa-
nies are interested in this
gene because it produces an
enzyme called a kinase —
dozens of drugs that inhibit
the activity of kinases have
been approved in the last 30
years, primarily for cancer.
Drug developers started
working on inhibiting over-
active kinases in neurode-
generative and infectious
diseases. One concern with
this approach is the possible
side effects from inhibiting
LRRK2.
“Today, there is no diag-
nostic test for PD and no way
continued on page 52
LeWitt
Heath
RUTHAN BRODSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
ISTOCK
Parkinson’s
Link
Ashkenazi Jews linked through gene
mutations; researchers seek patients.
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