The Genetics Of Parkinson's
ScienceDaily provides a wonderful example of the way in which our increased ability to work with genetic information has revolutionized the process of developing therapies. Researchers can now identify the precise biochemical mechanisms behind a given disease - and then try to tailor a drug or therapy to precisely manipulate or block that mechanism. This is a huge step forward over the old ways and greatly speeds the advance of medicine. "Researchers have known that mutations in a key gene called parkin are a major cause of Parkinson's disease (PD). Now they have discovered a new mechanism by which the parkin gene can be compromised, a finding that they say could lead to new drugs for the disorder."
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041219195508.htm