Cat Poop Parasite Could Be Key To Curing Alzheimer's And Parkinson's

A common parasite discovered in cat litter may change the way neurological diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's are treated, according to a recent study. An altered strain of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii is being studied because it may be able to deliver therapeutic proteins straight to the brain.

This research shows promising potential to overcome major obstacles in treating neurological diseases, even if it is still in its early phases.

In figuring out whether these parasites may be modified for therapeutic purposes, the University of Glasgow-led project, working with Tel Aviv University and an international research team, has made considerable strides. The results, which were published in Nature Microbiology, mark a significant advancement in the study of this novel therapeutic approach.

According to a release, the world-first pioneering discovery represents an exciting new field of research, centred around the potential of using engineered brain parasites to deliver treatment across the blood-brain-barrier - a major complication for treatment of many neurological conditions.

The research team worked with the common brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii, already estimated to be carried by a third of the global population in its dormant state. Toxoplasma gondii has evolved to travel from the digestive system to the brain where it secretes its proteins into neurons, and researchers were keen to find out whether - with some key changes - this parasite could instead be used to safely deliver key therapeutic proteins that could help treat neurological diseases.

While most neurological conditions, including Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinsons and Rett Syndrome, have been linked in some way to protein dysfunction, targeting the problem at source has proved complex. Delivering therapeutics - including targeted proteins - across the blood-brain-barrier and into the correct location inside neurons, is difficult, and has so far limited the treatment options for these neurological conditions.

In this study, researchers explored whether the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, which itself has evolved to easily cross biological barriers such as blood-brain-barrier (but also placenta), could act as a medicine delivery vehicle to disease-affected brain cells. To test their hypothesis the study team first had to find out whether they could effectively make the parasites produce the therapeutic proteins, and then afterwards test whether the parasites would be able to "spit" the proteins back out into affected brain cells.