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

FDA approves bilateral ultrasound for Parkinson’s symptoms

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Exablate Neuro, Insightec’s platform for noninvasive, MRI-guided focused ultrasound therapy, for the bilateral treatment of motor symptoms in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease who no longer respond to medication. The therapy targets regions within the pallidothalamic tract, a brain pathway…

Target enrollment complete in Phase 1b trial of GT-02287

Target enrollment for a Phase 1b clinical study assessing the safety and tolerability of GT-02287 in people with Parkinson’s disease is complete, three months ahead of the original goal, the therapy’s developer said. After enrolling the first 16 participants, the Phase 1b clinical trial (NCT06732180) is recruiting up…

Immune T cell response may detect Parkinson’s before symptom onset

People in the prodromal, or presymptomatic, stage of Parkinson’s disease show increased immune activity, with T cells targeting the proteins PINK1 and alpha-synuclein at levels similar to those seen in patients already diagnosed with the neurodegenerative condition, a new study reports. These two proteins — PINK1 and alpha-synuclein —…

Link between RAB32 mutation, Parkinson’s focus of research grant

A three-year grant from Parkinson Canada will allow a Canadian researcher to investigate the mechanisms by which a recently found mutation in the RAB32 gene is linked to Parkinson’s disease. The $135,000 grant will allow Jay Penney, PhD, associate professor at the University of Prince Edward Island in…

Phase 3 trial of prasinezumab in early-stage Parkinson’s planned

Roche said it will launch a Phase 3 trial testing prasinezumab, an anti-alpha-synuclein antibody, as a potential treatment for early-stage Parkinson’s disease. The decision follows data from two Phase 2 trials showing prasinezumab had potential clinical efficacy at slowing motor symptom progression and reducing motor complications as an add-on…

Rune Labs, Parkinson’s Foundation to study digital biomarkers

Rune Labs and the Parkinson’s Foundation are partnering on a clinical program to identify genetic and digital biomarkers showing how genetics and daily symptoms are connected in people with Parkinson’s disease, with the aim of speeding diagnosis, improving clinical trial design, and supporting the development of more targeted treatments. The…

SLEIPNIR clinical trial platform to test 3 Parkinson’s drugs at once

Cure Parkinson’s is funding SLEIPNIR, a multiarm clinical trial platform that will simultaneously test up to three disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson’s disease — assessing whether any of them can engage with their intended targets in the brain. The results are expected to help decide if these treatments should…

Study reinforces inflammation’s role in Parkinson’s development

Microglia-driven inflammation plays an early, key role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, by contributing to the spread of abnormal protein clumps in the brain. That’s according to study results published by a team of South Korean researchers and highlighted by Zyversa Therapeutics, which recently…

Apathy treatment IRL757 found safe in multiple doses

Multiple doses of apathy treatment IRL757 for Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders were well tolerated and presented a favorable pharmacological profile in the second part of a Phase 1 trial. This part of the Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT06493045) tested the safety and tolerability of multiple ascending…