UC San Diego Receives $7.2M Grant For Parkinson's Research

SAN DIEGO, CA — UC San Diego announced Thursday it has received a three-year, $7.2 million grant for research into a protein linked to Parkinson's disease.

The grant will fund research at three UCSD laboratories and two labs based in Germany.

The goal of the research will be to examine an enzyme known as leucine- rich repeat kinase 2, or LRRK2, which was discovered and linked to Parkinson's in the early 2000s. UCSD researchers say LRRK2 mutations are the main cause of inherited forms of Parkinson's disease, but questions remain regarding how the enzyme functions.

Using cryo-electron microscopy, in which scientists freeze molecules in a thin layer of ice to determine their structure at high resolution, researchers say they can produce a blueprint of LRRK2 in both its normal state, as well as in mutated states, providing a fuller picture of LRRK's roles across a variety of cellular functions.

Samara Reck-Peterson, the lead principal investigator of the project, said understanding the protein will be instrumental in designing a drug to treat the disease.

"If we can find out why LRRK2 — when it doesn't work — causes Parkinson's disease, that's really the ultimate goal," she said. "When you are thinking about designing a drug, you really need to understand all the details of the parts in order to engineer therapeutics."

The grant funding was one of several projects supported by the Aligning Science Across Parkinson's initiative.

"This grant from ASAP will further advance UC San Diego's efforts at unraveling the core debilitating effects of Parkinson's disease, which impacts the lives of so many individuals and families around the world," said UCSD Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. "This support will keep our researchers at the forefront of the science and technology needed to fully understand the mechanisms underlying the disease."

— City News Service