Dundee University's multi-million-pound Parkinson's research partnership

Dundee University has announced a multi-million-pound partnership to develop a potential new drug treatment for Parkinson's Disease.

The university's drug discovery unit (DDU) has teamed up with the Korean-based Bukwang Pharmaceutical Company.

The DDU, working with Oxford University, has identified molecules which could reduce levels of a protein which kills nerve cells in the brain.

Parkinson's Disease affects about 120,000 people in the UK.

The main symptoms are shaking, tremors and stiffness but depression, memory and sleep problems are also common.

The new partnership will allow a further three-year programme of work at Dundee and Oxford to advance the molecules towards clinical development.

Head of the DDU, Prof Paul Wyatt, said: "Drug discovery for neurological disorders is especially challenging and an area where academia and industry need to be working together.

"This project brings together the clinical and translational research expertise in Oxford with Dundee's professional drug-discovery capabilities, allowing us to move one stage further towards a treatment."