Kiminobu Sugaya, PhD, Neuroscientist at the University of Central Florida, College of Medicine, talks about a new Parkinson’s patch.
Interview conducted by Ivanhoe Broadcast News in 2024.
We’re talking about your wound healing technology. Can you explain that first, what it is?
Sugaya: So then people know that the infrared light can work on the cells to activate particularly the mitochondria, which is the- making energy for the cells. Then when we did the study with the human mesenchymal stem cells, that’s a peripheral pad of stem cells, that’s related to the wound healing and then we saw that that’s activate the movement of the cells. But the good thing with this technology is that, we don’t need the light to light. Then this is the ceramic pad, which suck up the infrared light and then as the far infrared light.
How does the ceramic get the infrared?
Sugaya: So then that’s the thing. So you know that maybe the florescence, florescence the dye. If you give the blue light, and then that’s going to make a green light out.
So what happens?
Sugaya: So then the florescence dye compound has the free electron and then if you give such a light, the electron energy going up. And then when the electron going back to the normal level, they’re going to release the light, but the such a light wavelength is longer. That’s why the blue become green and the green become red. That’s the florescence dye. So then the similar things happen. So then this ceramic, we have an infrared everywhere. This light, that makes the infrared, and your body itself making the infrared and those infrared goes to the ceramic and this ceramic having a similar concept of the such a florescence dye, and then they release the little bit lower frequency of the light. That’s the even far infrared. So far infrared is better than the infrared. Infrared can penetrate the body a little bit. That’s why you can feel the sunshine warm up your body. So then the far infrared, that’s penetrate even deeper. That’s why we can expect these things can walk in deep in the brain as well too.
Before we get to the brain, let’s talk about what makes work, then why does that help with wound healing?
Sugaya: So then I mentioned that we use the stem cells. Stem cells are fiber brush. Those are the cells to closing the wound, but their movement is slow usually. But with this energy, they can move much faster. So then what we did was that we made the wound in vitro though, scratch in the middle of the cell culture and then see how fast those things closing out. Then if the cells more active, more moving, the closing much faster. That’s the wound healing.
How much faster?
Sugaya: That’s maybe 22 to 25 times faster. The time wise.
Is it any specific kind of wound or all wounds?
Sugaya: All wounds. All cell activity. If the cells migrating, like a stem cells or fiber us or any of the cells migrating, they get this effect. Their migration speed going up.
Is this going to be the future of wound here?
Sugaya: Yeah, could be.
Is that just like is it, would you think of this as being something that you would inject? Would it be an IV?
Sugaya: Not the injection. This one is that we can just wrap it around such a wound area. And then that’s a fine infrared. So penetrate. So then.
It’s like a bandage?
Sugaya: Yeah, like a bandage.
So how does this relate to Parkinson’s patients?
Sugaya: So then the Parkinson patient that they’re losing the dopamine’s neurons in the deep in the brain called substantia nigra. Those dopamine neurons send a signal to your other part of the brain called stratum, and then that’s where this dopamine is needed to coordinate your body. Then the Parkinson patient, they’re losing this dopamine’s neuron because of the oxidative stress or the other reason. Then once they lose the more than 85% of the cells, they are having a problem to control their body. That’s the Parkinson disease. So then this wound healing things already I mentioned that. That one activate the mitochondria. So then the mitochondria is the factory to make your energy. And then unfortunately, by the aging, those things are going down. Also, once the mitochondria gets damaged, they are making more oxidative stress. That could be the problem. That could be the cause for the Parkinson disease.
Is that the shaking part of the Parkinson’s, the tremor or something else?
Sugaya: Yeah, that’s Parkinson both rigidity. Sometimes they difficult to start walking. So and also the shaking tremor. All those Parkinson symptoms. All those came from the imbalance of the dopamine in a stratum. Because in a stratum, that part of the stratum called [inaudible 00:07:44]. That’s the part making a rhythm. Your body need such a reason to behave well. So then the Parkinson patient, they’re going to lose this rhythm. That’s why they’re very difficult to start things, and then without the rhythm, those smooth movement you cannot do. Like a dancing. Without the music, very difficult to do the dancing. So then the same thing happened in the Parkinson patient. That was the reason. That’s the reason these days, we’re giving the music to the Parkinson patient, especially like a rhythm. That’s important. Even the brain lost that rhythm, but those patients can use the rhythm from outside of the body to move themselves much smoother. So that’s the reason. And then the both trim all rigid here, everything coming from the same reason, losing the dopa matric neural.
How would this wound healing technology work even inside the brain?
Sugaya: So then this one help the mitochondria function. So then by the agent lost the mitochondria function, making more oxidative stress. These things can prevent that. And then the Parkinson patient. Maybe you know the snicrane. That’s the protein making the deposition in the Parkinson disease. And then now we know that was- that making it more oxidative stress. Then those oxidative stress can be prevented because the mitochondria function is more accelerated. Then we’re not going to say that this is going to regenerate the neurons. But this one preventing the loss of the neurons even further.
Do you see this as people who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s that you’re trying to stop hopefully in the early stages from the rigidity and the tremors to happen?
Sugaya: Yeah. So then the area is better, obviously. But unfortunately, the Parkinson disease starts after losing the 80 some percentage. But still if we can maintain that level, that’s the target for this therapy.
How would this therapy be administered?
Sugaya: No. Just a pad.
Just a pad on your head? It’s not a invasive whatsoever?
Sugaya: No invasive, nothing.
You’re saying infrared is all around, that’s right? From the lights, from the set room, right? So why isn’t that enough?
Sugaya: I see. Because it’s not going to penetrate into such a deep. And then the far infrared is the more slow wave like a submarine. Now these date they’re using slow wave to communicate. Because the slow wave can penetrate many things and then the body as well. But the normal infrared maybe penetrate like a five millimeter or something, but that’s about it. But the addition penetrate much deeper.
How much deeper?
Sugaya: We haven’t tested exactly, sorry.
When you do this study on mice, what did you see?
Sugaya: So then that’s going to prevent the cell loss. Like I said, I wouldn’t say that regeneration of the neurons at all. But when we keep the mouse in this pad long period, this mouse is the Parkinson model mouse. So their behavior deteriorate gradually. But their behavior stays.
What’s the next step for the study?
Sugaya: Of course, we want to apply for the human at some point. But the good thing is that this thing says not invasive. So we just need a volunteer and then the sum of the funding to do the clinical study.
Is there any downside? Is there any risk to all of this?
Sugaya: So far, I don’t see any risk. No.
Is there anything else that you see this working towards so you’ve got Parkinson’s?
Kiminobu Sugaya: Yeah. I just told him about a glioblastoma. So then, that’s the brain tumor. And then unfortunately, the patient didn’t survive well because of the re-occurrence of this tumor in the brain. But maybe the university wants the ladies that are fast than before. Then we found a way to have a cure for that.
For glioblastoma?
Sugaya: Yeah. So then the calendar therapy, not going to work to kill those tumor cells. It can kill even in high dose, maybe like 20% of those cells. So then the cells survive and then start making another tumor. That’s the problem. But we found a way to shut down those protection mechanism of the particular cells.
Is this the same technology?
Sugaya: Yeah. This one using the gene therapy.
END OF INTERVIEW
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