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

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…

Subsense gets $17M to develop brain-computer interface

Subsense has received $17 million in seed funding to accelerate the development of a nanoparticle-based brain-computer interface to help monitor and treat people with neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. The funding will help the company develop nanoparticles for precise stimulation and monitoring of brain activity, along with hardware…

Nanobody developed that may prevent alpha-synuclein aggregation

Researchers in the U.K. have successfully generated small antibodies, or nanobodies, that can target toxic aggregates of misfolded proteins, including alpha-synuclein, a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. The antibodies, which were generated using a new antibody-discovery platform, can help understand how protein clumps, or aggregates are formed, and identify specific…

New partnership to advance cell replacement therapy for Parkinson’s

Swedish-based Smartcella has entered an agreement with a research team from the Karolinska Institute for the exclusive rights to advance a cell replacement therapy for Parkinson’s disease into clinical development and commercialization. The Karolinska Institute team in Sweden, led by Johan Ericson, PhD, a professor of developmental biology, has…

Kenai facility will boost Parkinson’s neuron replacement research

Kenai Therapeutics is setting up research and laboratory facilities at Lilly Gateway Labs in San Diego, to help advance RNDP-001, its investigational dopaminergic neuron replacement therapy for Parkinson’s disease. By joining Gateway Labs, Kenai, formerly Ryne Biotechnologies, will have access to state-of-the-art facilities, along with resources and…

Strength training app aimed at people with Parkinson’s, MS

A research initiative aims to create a mobile app using artificial intelligence (AI) to make strength training at home more effective for people with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions. The technology is being developed by Myworkout AS, in collaboration with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology…

Plant compound eases motor, cognitive symptoms in mice

Gardenin A, a compound found in a common South Asian shrub, lessened both cognitive and motor symptoms of Parkinson’s in a mouse model of the disease, according to a study. The compound reduced the loss of dopaminergic neurons — nerve cells that are gradually lost in Parkinson’s— and decreased…