Lindsey Shapiro, PhD, science writer —

The gut microbiome of people with Parkinson’s disease exhibits substantial compositional and functional shifts relative to that of healthy individuals, with some of these changes linked to a faster progression of motor issues over time, according to a new study. “The [Parkinson’s disease] microbiome is functionally…

Researchers have developed a new mouse model that affects nerve cells in the eye that could help in studying disease mechanisms and treatment approaches in Parkinson’s disease. The mice are lacking the protein VPS35 in specific cells of the eye and developed protein deposits that contain alpha-synuclein, neurodegeneration, and…

A person’s body composition, like the ratio of fat to muscle mass, could influence their risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, according to a large database study in the U.K. Among the more than 400,000 middle-aged adults followed for years, higher levels of abdominal and…

A transplant approach used to deliver ANPD001, an investigational stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease, to the brain was found to be safe and feasible in non-human primates. Data from these preclinical studies supported developer Aspen Neuroscience’s successful application to U.S. regulators seeking to launch a first-in-human…

The number of active Parkinson’s disease clinical trials has remained relatively stable since 2019, but many investigational therapies — especially disease-modifying treatments intended to slow or stop disease progression — are failing to move forward from Phase 2 to Phase 3 trials, according to a report. A wide…

The risk of developing Parkinson’s disease is double in adults older than 50 with anxiety relative to those without it in a recent U.K. study. Other Parkinson’s-associated symptoms, such as sleep issues, constipation, and tremors, were also associated with an elevated Parkinson’s risk in people with anxiety. “By understanding…

UB-312, a therapeutic vaccine candidate from Vaxxinity, safely led to antibodies being produced that could target toxic clumps of the alpha-synuclein protein in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to final published data from a Phase 1 clinical trial. Having detectable antibody levels against alpha-synuclein in the cerebrospinal fluid…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected for the second time AbbVie’s application of ABBV-951 (foscarbidopa/foslevodopa) for treating motor fluctuations in adults with advanced Parkinson’s disease. In a complete response letter to AbbVie, the FDA said the decision is based on observations from an inspection…

Gut microbes may play an important role in driving the low-grade inflammation that naturally occurs with aging and is exacerbated in conditions like Parkinson’s disease, according to research in mice. Older mice were found to have a distinct immune signature reflective of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract that was…

Preventing the growth of gut bacteria that cause levodopa (L-dopa) to be broken down before it reaches the brain could help boost its therapeutic effects in Parkinson’s disease, according to recent preclinical research. A family of molecules called mitochondrial-targeted drugs (MTDs) were found to inhibit the levodopa-metabolizing bacteria Enterococcus…