Medical breakthrough: Potential treatment to halt the progression of Parkinson's disease

In a new medical achievement, researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, have discovered a small molecule capable of preventing the death of nerve cells, opening up broad prospects for developing treatments that slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. Known as "programmed cell death" or "cell suicide," it is a natural process regulated by a group of proteins known as the BCL_2 family, where some of these proteins play a role in stimulating cell death, while others support cell survival. Scientists have identified a small molecule called WEHI_3773 that disrupts the function of one of the cell-killing proteins, BAX, preventing the penetration of mitochondria (the cell's energy source) and thus averting the death of nerve cells. Professor Grant Dewson, head of the Parkinson's Disease Research Center at WEHI Institute, stated: "So far, there are no treatments that prevent the death of nerve cells to slow the progression of Parkinson's disease, and any drug capable of achieving this would be a groundbreaking development in the treatment of this disease." The researchers also added that targeting only the BAX protein is sufficient to reduce the death of nerve cells, an achievement accomplished using high-throughput screening technology involving over 106,000 chemical compounds. Professor Guillaume Lessene, head of the New Medicine and Diagnostics Department at the institute, explained that this small molecule WEHI_3773 represents a first step towards developing new-generation cell death inhibitors that could help combat multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Researcher Kaiming Li further clarified that "the ability to keep BAX away from mitochondria and maintain cell vitality using this molecule is an unprecedented step that opens up new therapeutic possibilities." This scientific discovery may change the game in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, offering patients a new hope of preserving their neurological functions for a longer period.