BGU Researcher Receives Award for Parkinson’s Disease Research
BGU Researcher Receives Award for Parkinson’s Disease Research
January 3, 2010
Medical Research, Press Releases
BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL — December 31, 2009 — Dr. Amnon Sintov, a senior lecturer in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, has received a Dekker Award from the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation to further his groundbreaking research on Parkinson’s disease treatment.
Dr. Sintov focuses on the potential clinical benefit provided by the transdermal delivery of L-DOPA (levodopa), a drug commonly prescribed to treat Parkinson’s disease. Transdermal drug patches are a convenient method for delivering therapeutics into a patient’s blood in a continuous and controlled manner.
Currently, when L-DOPA is given orally to Parkinson patients it is eliminated from the body very quickly, causing sharp and frequent fluctuations in blood concentration levels. This is considered to be a cause of late motor complications which are troubling clinical and treatment issues of the disease.
The transdermal system developed in Dr. Sintov’s lab is based on a pharmaceutical formulation of self-assembled, nano-structured soft micelles (electronically charged particles formed by an aggregate of molecules) containing high-limit concentrations of L-DOPA. The ongoing research will include physical, chemical and pharmacokinetic evaluations of the novel system.
The Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation, based in New York City, is a nonprofit organization whose work is made possible through the generosity of individuals, foundations and corporations. The Foundation was started to encourage new research and scientists in the fields of dystonia and Parkinson’s disease.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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