Franco-Swiss team claims major advance in Parkinson’s treatment

Franco-Swiss scientists say they have discovered a major advance in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease after a test patient was able to walk again following their intervention.

Neuroscientists and neurosurgeons published a paper summarising their work in the medical journal Nature Medicine, on November 6.

The team, led by neuroscientist Dr Erwan Bézard, is a partnership between scientists at health research institute Inserm, the scientific research centre le CNRS, the University of Bordeaux, and Swiss researchers.

Using a ‘neuroprosthesis’, the team managed to help Marc, a 62-year-old paraplegic (lower-body paralysis) walk again. Marc, who is from Bordeaux and has been living with Parkinson’s for 27 years, previously relied on a wheelchair.

At advanced stages of the disease, 90% of patients struggle to walk.

‘Incredible sense of wellbeing’

The prosthesis works by implanting electrodes above the spinal cord, which stimulate the leg muscles.

Marc has been testing the system for a year. He switches the device on in the morning, and turns it off when sitting or sleeping. The electrical impulses also adapt to his movement. They particularly help with the ‘freezing’ effect - which is common in Parkinson’s patients - in which their feet become ‘stuck’ to the ground when trying to move.

Marc has said that before using the device, he could hardly walk without falling over or getting stuck in front of obstacles. He can now get up from his wheelchair and walk around.

He said: “It's not a miracle, but it brings an incredible sense of well-being. When I think back to two years ago, I was completely stuck. Now I'm fine.”

Professor Grégoire Courtine, a neuroscientist who worked on the study with neurosurgeon Dr Jocelyne Bloch, at Swiss research centre NeuroRestore, said: “It’s far from a [total] cure. The movement is a bit robotic, but normally he cannot walk at all.”

The scientific team is now set to work with six new patients in a clinical trial next year. If the results are successful, the team intends to develop the neuroprosthesis system and make it available on the medical market within the coming years.

“Our ambition is to make this innovative technology widely available, so as to significantly improve the quality of life of Parkinson's patients worldwide,” the researchers said.

The team is working with the Swiss medical company ONWARD Medical to build the prostheses.

It has also benefited from a $1 million (€937,300) donation from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (founded by Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox, who himself has Parkinson’s).

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