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British researchers have identified two drugs which may be able to halt the degeneration of brain cells that leads to diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Four years ago, the scientists from the Medical Research Council identified a drug which could force dying brain cells to keep making proteins and stay alive but the compound was toxic to humans. Further tests have now revealed existing drugs designed originally as anti-depressant and anti-cancer therapies that can do the same and that are potentially safe for human use. Professor Giovanna Mallucci, from the MRC Toxicology Unit in Leicester in central England, told Dan Damon about the advances. (Picture: Elderly woman smiling Credit: Getty Images)