As we draw to the end of World Parkinson’s Awareness Month, it is timely to reflect on effective advances made in treatments. There are many new therapies that might show promise for the future, including stem cell therapy and gene therapy. Unfortunately, prasinezumab, the monoclonal antibody that targets aggregated a-synuclein did not fulfil is expected early promise. However there is an emerging treatment for Parkinson’s disease involving light therapy that targets the microbiome-gut-brain-axis which shows great promise. We are pioneering this therapy in Australia and it has produced a global first in maintaining improvements in slowing disease progression, and in some cases reversing those symptoms. We have prioritised working with Indian colleagues in further trials, investing in India’s capacity as a global leader in this treatment. We have been fortunate in receiving support across the political spectrum for such a trial. If the trial is successful then it might be implemented in parallel or in conjunction with the Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, second only to Alzheimer’s disease and is rapidly increasing. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study from 2021 by 2059 over 25 million worldwide will be living with the disease, up from about 10 million today. This is not only due to an aging population but also to an over 75% increase in disease prevalence. This increase is projected to be most substantial in East Asia, including India. During 2000-2019, India’s life expectancy grew at the rate of 0.43 additional average age per year. Healthy life expectancy however grew at only of 0.37 per year. This widened the gap between lifespan and ‘healthyspan’. Healthy life expectancy is now almost a decade behind overall life expectancy – how can we all live longer, and healthier, more enjoyable lives?
It is estimated that there are over 1 million people living with Parkinson’s disease in India today, and so-called latitude diseases, including multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease have doubled in India over the last 10 years. This trend is projected to continue due to multiple risk factors, such as pollution levels, head and neck trauma, the aftermath of virus infections such as COVID, reduced vitamin D levels due to lifestyle changes, and, potentially, exposure to microplastics. This worrying trend undermines the global gains achieved in increased lifespan, by reducing the health span of those diagnosed with these illnesses. Impacts are felt not only by those who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, but their families, and the health care systems that support them, at an increasing cost to the Indian economy.
Photobiomodulation is a form of light therapy that is fast becoming an accepted alternative to medication. It is non-invasive, safe and can achieve results in a range of conditions that pharmaceuticals cannot. It is very cost effective and can be delivered by regional health providers to remote and regional communities. Its power is in addressing the cause of diseases rather than merely the symptoms. It does this by acting at a cellular and sub-cellular level, increasing the cells energy, reducing inflammation, and allowing the body to heal. When used to treat Parkinson’s disease, our peer-reviewed studies have shown that photobiomodulation can improve symptoms that contribute to the decline in quality of life, such as mobility and gait, balance, sleep quality and cognition. In a global first, our research has proven that these improvements can be maintained for 5 years. This is the only published peer reviewed research for Parkinson’s disease that has been shown to slow the progression in disease symptoms. Apart from these positive results, photobiomodulation can (with minimal training) be administered at home, is very safe.
The importance of international collaboration for research and health initiatives are of paramount importance. Thanks to Mr Kartikeya Sharma, I attended the NXT Conclave in New Delhi earlier this year with a number of Australians, the Honourable Tony Abbott previous Prime Minister of Australia, Pete Ceglinski who is pioneering the removal of microplastics from the ocean and Jane Thomason who is pioneering blockchain economics for rural communities. Here there was a great deal of interest in going forward with Parkinson’s disease research. The Australia-India connection, as championed by the Honourable Tony Abbott, promises to be instrumental in the next stages of collaborative photobiomodulation research for Parkinson’s disease.
Both India and Australia are well poised to take Parkinson’s disease research to the next level both for photobiomodulation treatment of Parkinson’s disease symptoms and in its diagnosis via the microbiome. India’s research prowess, coupled with its unique healthcare challenges, establish it as a natural for pioneering this research. Recent meetings at Indian hospitals, with neurologists and neuroscientists about the potential use of photobiomodulation for Parkinson’s disease is a catalyst for numerous productive collaborations. We would welcome larger clinical trials in India and have had very favourable interest from Dr Arun Maiya from Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), both in hosting a clinical trial and to promote further research into the microbiome gut-brain axis in Parkinson’s disease, an area where MAHE is making ground-breaking strides. Photobiomodulation has been recognised at MAHE by the endowment of the TM Pai Chair in Photobiomodulation, with the appointment of Professor Praveen Arany.
We would welcome collaboration with other research institutions to continue this important research including multi-centre trials to complement our trials in Australia. India’s involvement will enhance our global network, bringing onboard Indian intellect, and further strengthening our existing international ties with global institutions like Harvard University, Shepherd University, West Virginia University and Sydney University, Australia. The result of India’s investment in the global research will mean India’s people enjoying longer, healthier lives and will reduce chronic burden of this disease on individuals, their families, and India’s health system.
* The author is a clinician/scientist at the Sydney Adventist Hospital, where she is the Coordinator of Photomolecular Research. She is also a Research Fellow at the Kolling Institute, Sydney University, and a Professor of Research and Development at Shepherd University, WV, USA.