Summary: Researchers have identified a new compound, BIO-2007817, that can turn on a protein called parkin in brain cells. Parkin tags damaged mitochondria so the cell can recycle them. That makes this molecule a good bet for early Parkinson’s. It may help slow or stop the disease.
Researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, found a molecule that may help manage or reverse early onset Parkinson’s. The study ran in the journal Nature Communications.
This is big news. No drug today can reverse the disease or even significantly slow it. Most drugs only ease the symptoms. This finding could also matter for patients who manage chronic pain with chronic pain specialists, so care covers the whole person.
The new compound is called BIO-2007817. It belongs to the tetrahydropyrazolo-pyrazine (THPP) family. It can switch parkin back on. Parkin’s job is to tag damaged mitochondria. Then the cell can recycle them or swap them for healthy ones.
Broken mitochondria sit behind many diseases. Mitochondria are tiny furnaces inside each cell. They make the cell’s energy. Each cell has many of them. If the broken furnaces are not replaced, the cell runs short on power. Disease follows.
Parkin tags damaged mitochondria. So when parkin fails, many health problems follow. Parkin failure plays a key role in Parkinson’s. It can fail for many reasons, such as oxidative stress (cell damage from unstable oxygen), genes, and things in the environment.
The new molecule, BIO-2007817, sticks to parkin and turns it back on. Once parkin works, brain cells recycle damaged mitochondria faster.
Parkinson’s can wreck a life. Like many brain-wasting diseases, no one knows for sure what causes it. But researchers believe oxidative stress and toxins play a big role.
Parkinson’s builds slowly over the years. It often starts with a slight shake or stiffness. As it gets worse, it causes major disability and even dementia.
Parkinson’s is not just shaking or trouble moving. It also hurts balance and the sense of smell. It changes the face and makes the voice shake. It disturbs sleep, and much more.
Science has known about parkin for years. It helps recycle mitochondria. Once parkin tags them, the cell clears them out. This is called mitophagy. Then the cell builds new, working mitochondria.
The molecule looks good for early Parkinson’s. So it is fair to ask if it can treat, cure, or reverse late Parkinson’s. It may help. But it is unlikely to cure or reverse late disease. By then, much damage is done. Many key brain cells are gone for good.
Turning on parkin can help recycle mitochondria. That helps keep cells alive, which matters early in the disease. But in later stages, parkin cannot regrow brain cells that are already gone.
The molecule will still help in late disease. But the benefit will be much smaller. Early Parkinson’s and late Parkinson’s differ significantly. Interventional pain management could also gain from finds like this. It treats complex conditions as a whole and helps people with many symptoms.
Parkin can help keep cells alive, boost their energy, and reverse some damage inside them. But it cannot bring dead brain cells back. All it can do is stop more of them from dying. Also, in late disease, other damage takes over. Parkin might not be able to stop it.
Source:
Sauvé, V., Stefan, E., Croteau, N., Goiran, T., Fakih, R., Bansal, N., Hadzipasic, A., Fang, J., Murugan, P., Chen, S., Fon, E. A., Hirst, W. D., Silvian, L. F., Trempe, J.-F., & Gehring, K. (2024). Activation of parkin by a molecular glue. Nature Communications, 15(1), 7707. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51889-3
Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
