Alice Melão,  —

High levels of blood cholesterol may decrease the risk of men developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a large-scale clinical study. The study, “Higher serum cholesterol and decreased Parkinson’s disease risk: A statin‐free cohort study,” was published in the journal Movement Disorders. High blood cholesterol, in particular,…

A new process to select and purify stem cells that hold therapeutic potential to replace dopamine-producing neurons may hasten clinical development of this promising avenue to treat Parkinson’s disease. Upon being transplanted, these cells promoted dopamine production and reduced the severity of disease-related motor symptoms in an animal model…

An analysis of the protein content in tears may offer a non-invasive and inexpensive way of identifying people with probable Parkinson’s disease. A study led researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California reports that Parkinson’s patients have different levels of alpha-synuclein protein in tear fluid…

Nilotinib can modulate dopamine levels and metabolism, as well as prevent the formation of toxic alpha-synuclein aggregates, according to recent data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. These findings suggest that Novartis’ investigational therapy has the potential to promote long-term benefits in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The study, “…

The 2018 Science & PINS Prize for Neuromodulation was awarded to Nir Grossman, PhD, for his research to stimulate deep and specific regions of the brain without surgery as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease and other disorders. Grossman, who is an assistant professor at Imperial College London and a…

Cantabio Pharmaceuticals’ small molecule therapeutic candidate was able to protect dopamine-producing brain cells from death and prevent the loss of dopamine in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease, according to preclinical data. The compound targets DJ-1, a protein whose loss is associated with the onset of several diseases, including…

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) endorsed an imaging test that can help in identifying Parkinson’ patients with early stage disease but likely to progress quickly — people who might be best suited to taking part in clinical trials. Development of this clinical assessment tool — which targets disease biomarkers —…

Longevity Biotech announced plans for a clinical study aiming to identify potential blood-based markers of inflammation that originates in the immune system, biomarkers that may work to better diagnose Parkinson’s and recognize the disease’s different stages. The study, being run with the support of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for…

Neuraly announced it has raised $36 million to advance its lead candidate NLY01 into clinical testing as a potential disease-modifying agent for Parkinson’s disease, and to develop other investigative compounds for this and similar neurodegenerative disorders. The company, a Johns Hopkins University startup, expects to start a clinical trial of NLY01…

Cardiovascular damage in Parkinson’s patients, due to nerve cell loss in the heart, can be captured by imaging stress and inflammation molecules — a process that may help to determine the mechanisms behind such damage and ways of treating neurodegeneration in the heart, researchers report. The study by researchers at…