Parkin

PINK1 is a protein serine/threonine kinase (PTK) that protects the organelles from cellular stress and controls selective autophagy to clear damage. Exner, et al. were among the first to report that PINK1 deficiency in humans was linked to autosomal recessive occurrences of Parkinson's disease (PD) and neurogenerative pathology (1).

Identified almost two centuries ago, Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that afflicts an estimated 4-6 million worldwide (www.parkinsons.org). The prevalence of Parkinson's disease is expected to grow considerably as the average age of the population in developed countries increases.  Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars devoted annually to Parkinson's research, there is relatively little known about the disease and its treatment.