Parkinson's disease (PD) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that affects all age groups but is most common in older people. More than 1% of the of the population over the age of 60 suffer from the disease. According to United Nations estimates, by 2050 there will be 2.1 billion people in the world aged over 60, which will translate into 21 million people over the age of 60 suffering from PD.

Most of people suffer from a spontaneous form of the disease, while a few percent of people suffer from mutations in genes encoding alfa-synuclein, parkin,  PINK1 kinase or few other proteins.  

One of the main causes of PD is the overproduction and aggregation of a protein called alpha-synuclein (alpha-Syn) in diseased nerve cells. There is ample evidence that lowering alpha-Syn levels will benefit PD patients, and several clinical trials are now focusing on removing alpha-Syn using antisense technology or vaccines. In this context, Prof. Gracjan Michlewski's group is investigating pathways that control alpha-Syn production and looking for drugs that could restore this control to a physiological state and alleviate PD symptoms. 

Professor Jacek Kuźnicki and his group showed that the loss of dopaminergic neurons in Danio rerio with a mutation in pink1 gene can be inhibited against the exclusion of the mcu gene responsible for the inflow of calcium ions to mitochondria. This suggest that drugs inhibiting MCU might be of clinical significance. 

More research is needed to develop better therapies and efficient drugs. It is also crucial to raise public awareness and promote knowledge about the disorder affecting millions of people worldwide, and to raise funds to support research and people affected.