Researchers at Cardiff University and the University of Dundee have identified a drug molecule within a medicine used to treat tapeworm infections which could lead to new treatments for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that, according to Parkinson’s UK, affects one person in every five hundred. An estimated one hundred and twenty seven thousand people are currently living with Parkinson’s disease in the UK.

Over the last decade or so, researchers striving to find a cure for this debilitating disease have focused their attention on a protein found in the human body known as PINK1. It’s understood that the malfunction of this protein is one of the leading causes of Parkinson’s disease. Several studies have suggested that discovering a drug which is capable of enhancing the function of PINK1 could be a significant step in halting neurodegeneration and therefore slow down or even treat Parkinson’s disease. Cardiff University reports, with this knowledge in mind, the researchers discovered that a drug traditionally used to treat tapeworm infections, called niclosamide, is also an effective activator of the PINK1 protein.

Furthermore, the research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, revealed that niclosamide and some of its derivatives could enhance PINK1 performance within cells and neurons. This has given the researchers reason to believe that this drug could provide new hope for people with Parkinson’s disease.

Dr Youcef Mehellou, from Cardiff University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, who co-lead the study, said “This work represents the first report of a clinically used drug to activate PINK1 and may hold promise in treating Parkinson’s disease…This is an exciting stage of our research and we are positive about the long term impact it could have on patients’ lives.”

The research is published in ChemBioChem.