Joana Fernandes, PhD,  —

Results of the Cantabio Pharmaceuticals’ therapeutic program targeting the protein DJ-1 as a new therapeutic avenue for Parkinson’s disease will be presented at the 13th International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease, being held in Vienna on March 29-April 2. The presentation, to be delivered by Cantabio’s CEO…

Increasing treatment success in Parkinson’s requires a change in the way researchers and doctors view and approach this disease, experts wrote in two recent studies. “The time has come to ask what we should be doing differently,” Alberto Espay, MD, senior author of both studies, said in a news…

Contrary to current scientific thought, tracking the activity of a protein called dopamine transporter (DAT) may not reflect the loss of dopamine neurons in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra (one of the most affected regions in patients with Parkinson’s disease). These findings were published in the…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Xadago (safinamide) as an add-on therapy to increase the effectiveness of levodopa/carbidopa in Parkinson’s disease. Xadago limits the number of  “off” episodes, or increases in symptoms, among patients on levodopa/carbidopa, clinical trials have shown. “Parkinson’s is a relentless disease without a cure,” Eric Bastings,…

Even brief exposure to air pollution can increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease and other neurological diseases, concludes a Korean study. The study, “Short-term air pollution exposure aggravates Parkinson’s disease in a population-based cohort,” appeared in the journal Scientific Reports. Various environmental factors contribute to the pathology of Parkinson’s, but air…

Folinic acid, an adjuvant medication for bowel cancer, also may become a potential treatment for early-onset Parkinson’s disease, according to results of a preclinical study that used fruit flies. The study “Folinic Acid Is Neuroprotective In A Fly Model Of Parkinson’s Disease Associated With pink1 Mutations” was published in…

Partners in Parkinson’s has opened a video gallery online to help educate people about the disease and to support services to Parkinson’s patients worldwide. The group is also planning to host information events in two U.S. cities this year. The gallery’s aim is to bring essential information to patients that can…

The MC1R gene is associated with ginger hair and fair skin and has been considered a risk factor for melanoma (skin cancer). Now, a new study hypothesizes that this gene also may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease by affecting dopamine production. The study “The Melanoma-Linked “Redhead” MC1R Influences…

Patients who have had deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treat diseases that are not approved for the technique may not be reimbursed by an insurance company for the procedure’s costs, even though they were initially told the treatment was covered, according to a new study published in JAMA Neurology. In the…

Sanofi Genzyme is now recruiting participants for a Phase 2 trial to study the safety and efficacy of GZ/SAR402671 for treating Parkinson’s disease (PD) in patients carrying a mutation in the GBA gene — the most common genetic risk factor for PD. Such mutations interfere with the production of the encoded protein, called glucocerebrosidase, which…