A domestic research team has developed a new treatment for Parkinson's disease.
 
Led by Dr. Park Ki-deok at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and medical professor Hwang On-kyu at the University of Ulsan, the research team developed a compound that increases the amount of a certain protein preventing the degeneration of the brain. The team added that an animal test confirmed the material protects neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine.
 
The research team said the new material is 150 percent more effective than Selegiline, a leading Parkinson's disease drug, and has fewer side effects.
 
The feat was published in the recent edition of an international journal on medicinal chemistry.