{"id":3148,"date":"2018-12-07T08:45:40","date_gmt":"2018-12-07T13:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qa.vet.purdue.edu\/news\/?p=3148"},"modified":"2026-05-13T11:13:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:13:25","slug":"research-led-by-pvms-dr-riyi-shi-utilizes-world-war-ii-antidote-in-battle-against-parkinsons-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/research-led-by-pvms-dr-riyi-shi-utilizes-world-war-ii-antidote-in-battle-against-parkinsons-disease.php","title":{"rendered":"Research Led by PVM\u2019s Dr. Riyi Shi Utilizes World War II Antidote in Battle Against Parkinson’s Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dr.

Dr. Riyi Shi, professor of neuroscience and biomedical engineering in PVM\u2019s Department of Basic Medical Sciences and the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, has discovered that a World War II chemical agent antidote holds promise as a potential treatment for Parkinson\u2019s disease. (Lyna Landis\/Purdue Research Foundation)<\/p><\/div>\n

A Purdue Veterinary Medicine professor is leading studies showing a World War II chemical weapon antidote to be effective in combating a new enemy: Parkinson\u2019s disease.\u00a0 Recent research in the laboratory of Dr. Riyi Shi reveals that the antidote drug dimercaprol is effective at removing acrolein, a neurotoxin that is produced in the body after nerve cells are damaged and that is directly correlated with Parkinson\u2019s disease. In addition, acrolein has been shown to increase pain and trigger a cascade of biochemical events postulated to intensify the severity of Parkinson\u2019s and other neurodegenerative diseases.<\/p>\n

Parkinson\u2019s is characterized by the steady and progressive loss of brain cells. Those afflicted show early symptoms of trembling in their hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face. It can progress to the point where walking, talking, or completing the most basic tasks becomes a daily challenge. Half a million people in the U.S. are currently living with Parkinson\u2019s disease, and another 50,000 people are diagnosed with this neurodegenerative disorder every year, according to the National Institutes of Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur studies show that by removing the toxin (acrolein) from the brain, we are not just reducing the symptoms of Parkinson\u2019s disease, but also significantly reversing the damage of Parkinson\u2019s disease,\u201d said Dr. Shi, professor of neuroscience and biomedical engineering in the College of Veterinary Medicine\u2019s Department of Basic Medical Sciences and the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering<\/a>. \u201cThis could actually provide a new treatment for Parkinson\u2019s patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"screenshot<\/a>When administered systematically in the body, dimercaprol nullifies certain chemical features of acrolein, neutralizing and effectively eliminating it from the brain. Dr. Shi is moving forward the potential treatment, which has fewer side effects than other acrolein scavengers and involves safe, total removal via urinary excretion. The technology is patented through the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization<\/a>, and the innovation is available for licensing. Click here to view a video about the technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dr. Shi\u2019s laboratory already is demonstrating promising results using dimercaprol to remove acrolein in subject models of Parkinson\u2019s disease. So far, these studies have revealed an increased survival rate of brain cells and a significant delay of the disease\u2019s progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe that the drug\u2019s classification and method of administration are what make it an attractive therapy option. By systematically injecting the antidote drug directly into the abdominal cavity, it can be absorbed by the bloodstream and then travel to the brain, where the disease is most harmful and where the drug can most benefit the patient,\u201d Dr. Shi said.<\/p>\n

The research relates to a paper<\/a> authored by Dr. Shi and doctoral student Ran Tian and published earlier this year in the Journal of Neurochemistry<\/a>, which described how the chemical warfare antidote drug was shown to remove the neurotoxin in cell cultures, laboratory animals, and other experiments. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Indiana State Department of Health, and the Indiana CTSI Collaboration in Biomedical Translational Research Pilot Program.<\/p>\n

Dr. Shi\u2019s work aligns with Purdue’s Giant Leaps celebration, recognizing the University\u2019s global advancements in health as part of Purdue\u2019s 150th<\/sup> Anniversary. \u201cHealth and Longevity\u201d is one of the four themes of the yearlong celebration\u2019s Ideas Festival, designed to showcase Purdue as an intellectual center solving real-world issues.\u00a0 The research also dovetails with the goals of a recently formed Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, at Purdue\u2019s Discovery Park<\/a>. The institute spans 25 departments and includes around 100 faculty engaged in neuroscience-related research.<\/p>\n

For additional information, click here to view a complete news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Purdue Veterinary Medicine professor is leading studies showing a World War II chemical weapon antidote to be effective in combating a new enemy: Parkinson\u2019s disease. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3153,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,38,35,29,11],"tags":[323,75,882,8,26,56,302,238,324,326,150,61,883],"class_list":["post-3148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-staff","category-neuroscience","category-one-health","category-our-people","category-research","tag-acrolein","tag-bms","tag-dimercaprol","tag-faculty","tag-featured-story","tag-homepage","tag-neuroscience","tag-one-health","tag-parkinsons-disease","tag-purdue-institute-for-integrative-neuroscience","tag-research","tag-riyi-shi","tag-weldon-school-of-biomedical-engineering"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3148"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33835,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3148\/revisions\/33835"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vet.purdue.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}