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

Method generates dopaminergic neurons lost in Parkinson’s disease

Researchers in Canada have developed a new method to generate functional dopaminergic neurons, the dopamine-producing nerve cells lost in Parkinson’s disease, from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC). The scientists used an antibody to selectively activate FZD5, a receptor, in the stem cells, which stimulated a specific molecular signaling pathway involved…

Cerevance adds $47M in funding, will start CVN424 Phase 3 trial

After adding $47 million in new funding, Cerevance is planning to launch a Phase 3 clinical trial to test its oral molecule CVN424, designed to treat people with early-stage Parkinson’s disease without the side effects seen with other therapies, the company announced in a press release. That…

AAN 2024: Patients, care partners see improved health with cycling

Cycling indoors on a stationary bicycle for two may improve the health and well-being of people with Parkinson’s disease and their care partners, a preliminary small study at the University of South Carolina suggests. The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, which…

Rumble Boxing teams up with MJFF for Parkinson’s Awareness Month

Rumble Boxing, a U.S. fitness brand, is partnering for the second year with Team Fox, the grassroots fundraising community of The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), to raise awareness and funds during Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month this April. Among Rumble’s planned activities is a multicity tour panel…

Trial of VQ-101 for patients with GBA gene mutations begins dosing

The first patient has been dosed in a first-in-human trial testing Vanqua Bio’s VQ-101 as an oral therapy for Parkinson’s disease linked to mutations in the GBA gene, the company has announced. The Phase 1 clinical trial is assessing the safety, tolerability, and pharmacological properties of VQ-101 in both…

NeuroVigil launches portable device to measure brain electrical activity

NeuroVigil has launched its iBrain personal brain monitor — an investigational portable device that can noninvasively record the brain’s electrical activity in people with neurological conditions — in the U.S., according to a company press release. In the second phase of the launch, NeuroVigil will use a smaller…

NIH $1.9M research grant will fund detailed study of amyloid fibrils

A five-year project funded by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant totaling nearly $1.9 million will study amyloid fibrils, protein clumps that are a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. This work may shed new light on the disease-causing mechanisms related to these fibrils —…

AI platform will design precision Parkinson’s, neurological therapies

Manifest Technologies has completed initial funding and a partnership with Johnson & Johnson to apply its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform toward developing precision treatments for neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, the company announced. The NAIO (Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence Optimized) platform integrates neuroimaging data from humans and…

Produodopa available to treat advanced Parkinson’s in Scotland

Produodopa (foslevodopa/foscarbidopa; also known as ABBV-951), a continuous infusion formulation of levodopa/carbidopa, will be available to advanced Parkinson’s disease patients in Scotland whose severe motor fluctuations and involuntary movements are no longer controlled by those standard therapies. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) restricted use of AbbVie’s subcutaneous…