José Lopes, PhD, managing science editor —

Although it may be protective against infections, a specific mutation in the LRRK2 gene — the gene linked to most inheritable mutations that can cause Parkinson’s disease — may increase Parkinson’s risk by promoting inflammation in the brain, according to new research. The study, “Lrrk2 alleles…

Treatment with Nuplazid (pimavanserin), approved in the U.S. for treating hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s psychosis, eased depression and sleep problems in patients with Parkinson’s, according to results from a Phase 2 clinical trial. The research, “Open-Label Study of Pimavanserin Patients…

Oral treatment with tavapadon eased motor symptoms and was well-tolerated by patients with early-stage Parkinson’s, according to data from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Cerevel Therapeutics’ tavapadon (formerly known as PF-06649751) is a selective partial agonist of the dopamine D1 and D5 receptors, and is…

Patients with Parkinson’s disease who were treated with Accordion Pill Carbidopa/Levodopa (AP-CD/LD) tolerated a higher dose of levodopa and experienced less variability in plasma levels of this standard therapy than those on Sinemet. Those are the top-line results from a Phase 3 clinical trial and data from a…

Continuous delivery of carbidopa/levodopa (CD/LD) with ND0612 under the skin led to quick improvement of clinical status and better quality of life for  patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease, according to patient-reported outcomes from a Phase 2 clinical trial. Now, a global Phase 3 study named BouNDless (NCT04006210) is…

A Phase 2 clinical trial testing the safety and effectiveness of the gene therapy VY-AADC02 in people with advanced Parkinson’s disease is recruiting patients at select sites across the U.S., according to a release by one such site. Hackensack University Medical Center is among the 17 institutions across…

Exercising at home with a stationary bicycle — using a motivational app and remote supervision to increase compliance — eases motor complications in patients with mild Parkinson’s disease and improves their cardiovascular health, according to results from a clinical trial. Findings from the study, “Effectiveness of…

An antimicrobial compound called squalamine works to ease age-related constipation and gut dysmotility, or problems with how muscles of the digestive system work, according to a recent study in mice. An oral and lab-made version of squalamine, ENT-01 (by Enterin), is now being tested in the KARMET Phase 2 trial (…

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) is funding work at Tymora Analytical Operations that screens for protein biomarkers in urine to help detect the neurodegenerative disease earlier. Tymora, a research and development laboratory company affiliated with Purdue University, uses the EVtrap approach, or…

A detailed analysis of the structure of alpha-synuclein clumps suggests that Parkinson’s is a systemic disease, whose characteristic protein aggregates can move about inside the brain and migrate beyond the central nervous system, according to a new research. This finding may help in better understanding why Parkinson’s patients experience symptoms other…