UKPDSTB General: Brain Bank Bulletin issue 1, page 3

Page 3 of 4

Brain Bank Bulletin

Issue 1

Winter 2003

Inside this issue:
Welcome	1	The Story so far	1	Open Day 2003	2	What Next of Kin can do!	2	Healthy Volunteers Needed!	3
Genetic Research	3	Branch Talks	4	Research Requests	4	Staff Information	4	Contact Information	4

Why the Tissue Bank needs Healthy Volunteers!

The brain is an amazingly complex organ. However, as everyone knows, when it does not work so well it can produce disorders like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Multiple Sclerosis. If we are to understand what happens to the brain in Parkinson's and other disorders, we need to first understand how the healthy brain functions e.g. how our brain works when we move to lift a cup of tea, or how dopamine-producing cells (the cells that die in Parkinson's) stay healthy in a non-Parkinson's brain.

This tissue from healthy donors is also important as it acts as a "control" or indicator of healthy function in all research into Parkinson's. Currently only about 1/3rd of the total people signed up to the Tissue Bank are healthy volunteers and of the last 36 actual tissue donations collected by the Tissue Bank, only one was from a healthy donor. This shortage of healthy tissue is not limited to Parkinson's research alone. Tissue banks supplying tissue for research into other neurological disorders face the same problem.

Tissue banks are now working closer together and, where possible, sharing tissue donated by healthy donors, since different parts of the brain are affected in different disorders. Hence, healthy tissue donated to the PDS Tissue Bank will benefit research not only into Parkinson's, but also into many of these other disorders.
If you know of a healthy person that might consider signing up to the Tissue Bank donor scheme, please show this newsletter to them. Further information on the donor scheme can be sent out to interested individuals or found at our website (see over).

Dr David Dexter, Scientific Director

Professor Graeber's Team: Unravelling the Brain's Genetic Secrets!

Symptoms experienced by people with Parkinson's are a result of damage within specific areas of the brain. What causes this damage is unknown, but there is growing evidence for genetic involvement in some Parkinson's cases. The genetic information in our cells is responsible for stimulating the production of proteins, which are essential building blocks in our cells. If abnormal levels of proteins are formed then this can alter the function of brain cells and cause them to die.

There are about 30,000 genes in our cells. In the past, to examine them all would have required an army of scientists and many years of work. Professor Graeber and his team, using tissue from the PDS Tissue Bank and some of the latest technology, are examining the gene expression in brains of Parkinson's and healthy volunteers. The revolutionary "gene chips", only about 2cm (one inch) square, being used are like having a laboratory on a chip. They allow the examination of the expression of 15,000 genes at once. Hence using only two "gene chips" the expression of all of our genes can be analysed.

From left to right: Dr David Dexter (Scientific Director, TB), Prof. Manuel Graeber (Neuropathology), Dr Linda Moran (Research Associate), Emilie Croisier (Research Technician), Dawn Duke (Laboratory Technician), Dr Ronald Pearce (Clinical Director, TB)

This work is already revealing that many genes in Parkinson's brains are up-regulated or "switched on more" whilst other genes are down-regulated or "switched off more". It is hoped that when this work is complete they will be able to identify the mechanisms involved in nerve damage in the Parkinson's brain. If this is the case, it may help identify new approaches for the drug treatment of Parkinson's. We will keep you updated on this important area of research using brain tissue donated to the PDS Tissue Bank!