{"id":2665,"date":"2019-10-15T16:04:25","date_gmt":"2019-10-15T20:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parkinsonpost.com\/?p=2665"},"modified":"2019-10-15T16:04:25","modified_gmt":"2019-10-15T20:04:25","slug":"helping-cells-help-themselves-and-tackling-parkinsons-disease-along-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archiveparkinson.thedev.ca\/fr\/helping-cells-help-themselves-and-tackling-parkinsons-disease-along-the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping cells help themselves and tackling Parkinson\u2019s disease along the way"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shafqat Rasool
Doctoral Student
McGill University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

McGill University doctoral student Shafqat Rasool is investigating the way PINK1, a gene-related to Parkinson\u2019s disease, is activated. He\u2019s also studying small molecules that could improve the gene\u2019s function. PINK1 tells the body\u2019s cells to remove damaged mitochondria. When this gene fails to do its job, damaged mitochondria accumulate and clump up in neurons, causing their death and eventually leading to Parkinson\u2019s. Rasool hopes to reveal a therapeutic target to address a fundamental cause of this condition. His research is made possible through a Graduate Student Award from Parkinson Canada Research Program for $30,000 over 2 years.<\/p>\n

Shafqat Rasool vividly recalls his undergraduate revelation about neurodegenerative disease, the uncomfortable notion that an \u201cexpiration date\u201d might apply to proteins, the fundamental building blocks of our health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found it surprising\u2014and a little bizarre\u2014that proteins, which are machines that have been designed to work so perfectly, at a certain point in life can simply fail,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

At the time, Rasool was pursuing his undergraduate degree in his native Pakistan, just as the structure of the key genetic protein called parkin was solved by two McGill University researchers, Jean-Francois Trempe and Kalle Gehring. That was all the inspiration he needed to find his way into Trempe\u2019s lab in Montreal, where Rasool is now in the third year of his doctoral studies delving into the crucial role parkin plays in the development of Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when I felt there was something new coming up in this field. That\u2019s what really drew me to work on this particular pathway,\u201d Rasool says. His research is made possible through a Graduate Student Award from Parkinson Canada Research Program for $30,000 over 2 years.<\/p>\n

Parkin is a protein that helps cells remove damaged components of mitochondria, the tiny structure inside cells responsible for generating energy. Parkin works alongside another gene, PINK1, which can itself malfunction. If PINK1 fails, it doesn\u2019t do its job of removing damaged proteins and mitochondria from inside cells. They can clump up and cause the death of the brain cells that control the body\u2019s movement, resulting in Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

Rasool emphasizes that PINK1 is crucial to maintaining mitochondrial function and quality control, something that can be lost to Parkinson\u2019s disease. He is therefore focusing on PINK1 as a critical target for correcting the process that sets the stage for neurodegeneration. He\u2019s exploring McGill\u2019s extensive reference collection of small-molecule compounds, looking for other types of agents that might interact with PINK1 to correct the effect of any disease-causing mutation. The goal is to ensure that cells can respond to mitochondrial damage before it compromises them, as well as ultimately compromising an individual\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

Focusing on PINK1 represents a new and exciting avenue for drug treatment that could improve the lives of Parkinson\u2019s disease patients, since this type of molecule makes a practical target for drug development.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think of this as an emergent field,\u201d he says. \u201cIn the years to come we\u2019ll really nail the importance of this pathway to discover the core of what we know Parkinson disease to be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

McGill University doctoral student Shafqat Rasool is investigating the way PINK1, a gene-related to Parkinson\u2019s disease, is activated. He\u2019s also studying … En savoir plus<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":32425,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[237],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nHelping cells help themselves and tackling Parkinson\u2019s disease along the way - Parkinson Canada<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Helping cells help themselves and tackling Parkinson\u2019s disease along the way - Parkinson Canada\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"McGill University doctoral student Shafqat Rasool is investigating the way PINK1, a gene-related to Parkinson\u2019s disease, is activated. He\u2019s also studying ... 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