The Parkinson’s Support Group of Huntsville recently made a special trip to HudsonAlpha to hear from institute scientists who are working to better understand this devastating disease. The group also extended support to the institute through a generous donation.
Dr. Chris Gunter, director of research affairs, and Dr. Kevin Bowling, a post-doctoral fellow in the Myers lab, presented details of research underway at the institute.
"At HudsonAlpha we are using next generation sequencing technologies to explore the human genome in order to identify molecular differences that associate with Parkinson disease," Bowling explained. "Through these genome-wide studies, we expect to find particular genes or gene pathways that are altered in Parkinson disease individuals. These studies will hopefully provide insight into the causes of Parkinson disease, as well as suggest possible targets for drug therapy."
During the visit, Fred Seeley, president of the Parkinson’s Support Group of Huntsville, presented Dr. Rick Myers with a $3,000 check to support the institute’s research.
"We had a great time," Seeley said of the visit, which included tours of HudsonAlpha research and educational outreach labs. "We were very impressed and are proud to have HudsonAlpha in the community."
Parkinson disease affects more than 500,000 million Americans. Shaking and tremors, impaired balance, aches and stiffness are among debilitating symptoms. For information on the Parkinson’s Support Group of Huntsville, including meeting times, contact Seeley.