Sunovion Pharmaceuticals’ apomorphine sublingual under-the-tongue film (APL-130277) — now under review for approval — significantly improved motor fluctuations, or off episodes, in Parkinson’s patients in Phase 3 clinical trial, results show. The double-blind pivotal study, (NCT02469090), evaluated the efficacy and safety of APL-130277 as a fast-acting oral treatment for…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Voyager Therapeutics’ gene therapy candidate VY-AADC regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) designation for the treatment of therapy-resistant motor fluctuations in Parkinson’s patients. The RMAT designation, recently created by the FDA, is given to regenerative medicine products intended to treat, modify, reverse,…
Accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein in the retina could be a biomarker of Parkinson’s disease severity, a new study suggests. The study, “Phosphorylated α‐synuclein in the retina is a biomarker of Parkinson’s disease pathology severity,” was published in the journal Movement Disorders. Non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include…
Mutations in two specific genes affect how nerve cells work in the brain, disrupting sleep patterns in Parkinson’s patients, a new study suggests, and recommends a way of possibly treating this disease symptom. The research, “ER Lipid Defects in Neuropeptidergic Neurons Impair Sleep Patterns in Parkinson’s Disease,” appeared in…
Axovant Sciences licensed the exclusive worldwide rights from Oxford BioMedica to develop and market AXO-Lenti-PD, a gene therapy candidate for Parkinson’s disease. Formerly known as OXB-102, AXO-Lenti-PD uses a modified, harmless type of virus called lentivirus to deliver three genes that provide instructions to make a…
Antiparkinsonian medications may cause premature ejaculation in men with Parkinson’s, according to a case series that followed eight patients. The study, “Acquired premature ejaculation in Parkinson’s disease and possible mechanisms,” was published in the International Journal of Impotence Research. Premature ejaculation is a common male…
Understanding how two proteins, both enzymes, work to disassemble “stress granules” — clumps of molecules that form when cells are stressed by external factors — may help in developing treatments for Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disorders by creating enzymes that mimic their work, researchers report. The study, “Deubiquitylases…
A new and experimental deep brain stimulation (DBS) system uses feedback from the brain to fine-tune its signaling in response to signs of dyskinesia, potentially offering a more refined way to ease motor problems in Parkinson’s patients, a small feasibility study reports. The research, “Adaptive deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease…
Impaired intake of neurotransmitters leads to accumulation of toxic dopamine and neurodegeneration in patients with Parkinson’s disease, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. The study, “LRRK2 phosphorylation of auxilin mediates synaptic defects in dopaminergic neurons from patients with Parkinson’s disease,” appeared in the journal…
Even low-level exposure to certain pesticides disrupts cells in a way that mimics the effects of mutations linked Parkinson’s disease — raising a likelihood of the disease developing in people predisposed to it, a new study reports. These findings may also explain why people living near agricultural areas are seen to…
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