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

Collaboration explores alpha-synuclein in disease-modifying therapies

A collaborative effort between the University of Oxford and Selvita will foster the development of potential disease-modifying therapies targeting alpha-synuclein aggregation, a key hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. The accumulation of toxic aggregates of alpha-synuclein contributes to the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons, the nerve cells in the…

Real-time brain activity to guide study of personalized light therapy

Neuronic has partnered with Santa Clara University in Silicon Valley to develop a research project to study light therapy guided by real-time brain activity. Light therapy, also called photobiomodulation, is painless and noninvasive, and uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to deliver near-infrared light that passes through the skin and…

New partners join forces to market Apple watch-based Parky app

h2o Therapeutics has partnered with AmerisourceBergen to commercialize Parky, a prescription mobile app that monitors symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease, such as tremors and involuntary muscle movements. The Parky app monitors a patients’ symptoms in real time using an Apple Watch, and shares the data…

Sinopia Biosciences selects SB-0110 for Phase 1 Parkinson’s trial

Sinopia Biosciences has selected SB-0110 as its lead clinical candidate for Parkinson’s disease after extensive preclinical studies. The move has triggered a cumulative funding of $3.3 million of its fast-track Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The fast-track SBIR…

First healthy volunteer dosed in study of HER-096 for Parkinson’s

The first healthy volunteer has been dosed in a clinical study that will test the safety and efficacy of Herantis Pharma’s HER-096 treatment candidate for Parkinson’s disease, the company announced in a press release. The Phase 1a clinical trial also is evaluating the ability of HER-096 to penetrate…

RAD-PD, registry into DBS use with Parkinson’s, finishes pilot phase

NeuroPoint Alliance’s (NPA) registry for people with Parkinson’s disease eligible for deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery announced that it has completed its initial pilot phase, collecting information on more than 170 patients who underwent the treatment. Called the Registry for the Advancement of DBS in Parkinson’s Disease, or…

Coffee drinking may diminish volume of striatum, key brain region

Heavier coffee drinkers, based on the number of cups consumed daily, have a lower volume of the striatum, a brain region affected in Parkinson’s disease, whether or not they have Parkinson’s, a study from China using MRI data reported. Regular coffee consumption, without an emphasis on cups per day,…

Women with Parkinson’s less likely to be referred for DBS than men

Women with Parkinson’s disease are less likely to be referred for deep brain stimulation (DBS) evaluation than men, a study has found. Moreover, women with essential tremor, a disease that shares symptoms with Parkinson’s and can also be treated with DBS, were more likely to decline surgery, once approved.

Faster gains seen with home apomorphine infusion in Parkinson’s

Home initiation of under-the-skin (subcutaneous) apomorphine infusion — a treatment for motor fluctuations — is faster at improving the life quality of Parkinson’s disease patients than in hospital initiation, a French study has shown. Continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion (CSAI) initiation at home for Parkinson’s was found to be feasible…

Exercise interventions found to ease motor symptoms in Parkinson’s

Physical exercise interventions can lessen Parkinson’s disease motor symptoms — and these beneficial effects are similar for both aerobic and nonaerobic activity. That’s according to the findings of a new meta-analysis of published studies, which involved 25 articles relating to interventions spanning 4-26 weeks. “This review provides…