A chemotherapy drug could potentially be a treatment for Parkinson's disease, a recent study found.
The study, published Feb. 8 in Cell Chemical Biology, found the cancer drug rucaparib, used for ovarian, breast and prostate cancers, and its metabolite, M324 molecule, had a complete reduction of α-synuclein enzyme accumulation in Parkinson's disease models. The enzyme is a major component of Lewy bodies.
"The study reported here highlights the importance of characterizing the activity of drug metabolites to comprehensively understand drug response in the clinic and exploit our current drug arsenal in precision medicine," the study authors wrote.