METRO DENVER NEWS CENTER - UC Denver researcher receives

METRO DENVER NEWS CENTER - UC Denver researcher receives funding for
Parkinson's drug
Award is part of Michael J. Fox Foundation program for high-risk/high-reward
approaches to Parkinson's
AURORA - Dr. Curt Freed is testing a new clinical strategy for the treatment of Parkinson's disease
thanks to a grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) through their 2009 Rapid
Response Innovation Awards. The funding will enable Freed and Wenbo Zhou, PhD, to further
investigate their discovery that a drug called phenylbutyrate can prevent brain deterioration in
animal models of Parkinson's disease by turning on a protective gene called DJ-1.
Phenylbutyrate is already approved by the FDA to treat an unrelated condition, a rare form of
liver disease.
Freed and his colleagues will study phenylbutyrate in 12 people to see if the drug can increase
DJ-1 levels in the blood of patients with Parkinson's. Results from this early phase research
could lead to a larger study to test if phenylbutyrate can slow or stop the progression of
Parkinson's disease.
http://www.metrodenver.org/news-center/metro-denver-news/UC-Denver-researcher-receivesfunding-for-Parkinson-drug.html (24 September 2009)
Name
What is the hypothesis that Freed and Zhou will test?
What is the independent variable?
What is the dependent variable?
Answer the questions in Table 1.2 A Guide for Evaluating Science the in the News
Use N/A if the news stories do not provide the information.
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