Parkinson's disease could be treated with 'brain port'

Doctors are trialling using a delivery port to transport protein to the brain This could reduce symptoms and slow down the disease's progression Hope the protein will restore the dying neurones that cause symptoms The doctors have already carried out a small safety study and are now looking for 36 people to take part in the next phase of trials

By Emma Innes

PUBLISHED: 08:33 EST, 9 October 2013 | UPDATED: 09:32 EST, 9 October 2013

A pioneering procedure to halt the onset of Parkinson's disease using a sci-fi style 'brain port' has been developed by doctors. Image shows a brain with Parkinson's

A pioneering procedure to halt the onset of Parkinson's disease using a sci-fi style 'brain port' has been developed by doctors.

The innovative process sees a small, specially-designed, delivery port containing catheters and tubes placed into a specific part of brain.

Protein is then regularly injected into the delivery system in an attempt to improve symptoms - such as stiffness, slowness of movement and tremor - and slow down the progression of the disease.

The procedure, carried out at Frenchay Hospital, in Bristol, is currently in its research phase but doctors hope it could soon offer a reliable treatment for people with the disease.

They are now looking for 36 people with Parkinson's to take part in the next phase to assess the impact it can have and its potential to halt the disease.

Neurosurgeon Professor Steven Gill, who developed the delivery method for the treatment, said: One of the biggest problems facing many researchers in the past has been finding a way to get past the blood/brain barrier, which prevents materials from blood entering the brain.

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Parkinson's disease could be treated with 'brain port'