Human Leukocyte Antigen Locus: Parkinson's Disease

This is a continuation of a possible series of blog posts all pertaining to the vast array of genetic content that the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) locus has brought to the medical field. In a study conducted by the NeuroGenetics Research Consortium, led by a research scientist from the NY Department of Health and professors of genetics from several universities, pre-conclusive evidence was found that helped to link the immune system to the onset of the degenerative neurological disorder, Parkinson's disease.

The research team studied 2,000 Parkinson's patients and 2,000 clinical control volunteers, some for over two decades, in order to hone in on the most important data. Over that time, they were assessing the clinical, environmental and genetic factors that might contribute to the development of Parkinson's disease. The study was centralized on the HLA locus, which contributes to the majority of immune functions and responses in humans. Continuous study at this locus can help to reach conclusions on how infection, inflammation and autoimmunity may contribute to the onset of Parkinson's disease.



Although many important conclusions were made from this study, much more work in required to fully understand the correlation between the HLA locus and Parkinson's disease. The Consortium's next step is to look more into gene-environment links in order to personalize therapeutics for any specific individual.