Andrea Lobo,  —

Andrea Lobo is a Science writer at BioNews. She holds a Biology degree and a PhD in Cell Biology/Neurosciences from the University of Coimbra-Portugal, where she studied stroke biology. She was a postdoctoral and senior researcher at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health in Porto, in drug addiction, studying neuronal plasticity induced by amphetamines. As a research scientist for 19 years, Andrea participated in academic projects in multiple research fields, from stroke, gene regulation, cancer, and rare diseases. She authored multiple research papers in peer-reviewed journals. She shifted towards a career in science writing and communication in 2022.

Articles by Andrea Lobo

First patient dosed in Parkinson’s clinical trial of Ventus’ VENT-02

A Phase 2a clinical trial testing Ventus Therapeutics’ VENT-02 — a novel brain-penetrating oral medication — in adults with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease has dosed its first patient. The study (NCT06822517), expected to enroll about 30 people with Parkinson’s, is assessing the treatment’s safety, tolerability, effects on…

FDA lists platform using rhythm to aid walking as Class II device

Note: This story was updated March 13, 2025, to correct that the company’s proprietary software is not available as a downloadable smartphone app. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has listed MR-005, MedRhythms’ digital therapeutic platform using rhythmic beats to help with walking in…

StrivePD Guardian launched to better personalized Parkinson’s care

Rune Labs has launched StrivePD Guardian, a personalized care delivery service to help Parkinson’s disease patients manage their condition more effectively by combining expert coaching with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven health monitoring. The program pairs the StrivePD mobile app with an Apple watch, offering users continuous monitoring of…

Onward Medical using 2 grants to test spinal stimulation device

Onward Medical has received two grants totaling about $2.5 million to support early feasibility studies assessing whether its implantable spinal stimulation system, called ARC-IM, can lessen mobility difficulties and blood pressure instability in people with Parkinson’s disease. The ARC-IM system — in which targeted stimulation can…

Trial volunteer awards go to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s patients

A research advocate diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and a former nurse with Alzheimer’s disease were among recipients of volunteer awards from the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (GAP). GAP’s Citizen Scientist Awards acknowledge the contributions of volunteers in clinical trials for neurodegenerative diseases. Each year, GAP’s network of research…

Supporters gear up for Moving Day Walks in 33 US cities this spring

Moving Day, a signature fundraiser for the Parkinson’s Foundation, will join communities this spring to raise awareness and money to support care for people with Parkinson’s disease, and advance research toward better treatments. The events will take place in 33 cities across the U.S. from March 15 to…

FGF-1 improves blood flow, motor function in Parkinson’s patient

Six months of treatment with intranasal FGF-1, a naturally occurring molecule that promotes blood vessel growth, improved blood flow in a brain region profoundly affected by Parkinson’s disease, along with motor function, in the first patient to undergo both assessments. That’s according to a press release by…

Sleep, relationship quality tied to women’s sexual health: Study

Sexual health among women with Parkinson’s disease is associated with sleep quality and the quality of the relationships they have with their partners, a study in Brazil found. The study analyzed the short- and long-term sexual health of 100 women with mild to moderate disease who were sexually active…

Estrogen enhances neuroprotective effects of cytisine in female mice

Estrogen, a female sex hormone, was found to enhance the neuroprotective effects of cytisine, a smoking cessation drug, in a female mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. That’s according to a study conducted by researchers at Texas A&M University, which analyzed the effects of cytisine in female mice that had…

MJFF grant to fund preclinical study of paxalisib for Parkinson’s

A grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) will allow Australia-based Kazia Therapeutics to explore the potential of paxalisib — an investigational anticancer drug now being tested in clinical trials — as a repurposed treatment for Parkinson’s disease. The research grant will fund…