Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

Coya Therapeutics is building upon its collaboration with the Houston Methodist Research Institute, in Texas, to advance research into exosomes, or tiny packets released from regulatory T-cells (Tregs), a type of immune cells that keep inflammation in check. These exosomes contain molecules that, similar to Tregs, can cross the…

Researchers at University College London (UCL) have developed a test that accurately identified Parkinson’s disease up to seven years before its symptoms manifested by measuring levels of eight biomarkers in the blood, a study reports. “We set out to use state-of-the-art technology to find new and better biomarkers for…

Changes in how regions of the brain interact with each other, which occur during the surgical procedure for deep brain stimulation (DBS), can temporarily ease motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, even before the electrical stimulation is turned on, a study finds. The microlesion effect, as this temporary improvement…

Taking levodopa, the mainstay of treatment for Parkinson’s disease, results in two key brain regions for movement strongly connecting and easing resting tremor, a study finds. The study led by Ann-Maree Vallence, PhD, of Murdoch University’s Centre for Healthy Ageing in Australia, offers an avenue to target the…

The use of medical cannabis in the U.S. has grown as more states legalize it, and programs listing Parkinson’s disease-related conditions, including muscle cramps, anxiety, and pain, have expanded from 28 states to 36 in just five years. Yet a survey found many doctors are not aware of the…

Lactulose — a synthetic (lab-made) sugar used to soften stools — may ease symptoms of constipation in people with Parkinson’s disease, lowering a need for rescue laxatives, a pilot study found. While these findings come from a small number of patients, they offer grounds for further research into lactulose’s…

Recognizing cognitive decline and low sex drive in people with Parkinson’s disease and depression could aid the early diagnosis and better management of the disease, according to researchers in Iran. While it’s not known if treating depression may ease other nonmotor symptoms, “these findings could be beneficial for…

Aside from easing motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, deep brain stimulation (DBS) may also slow disease progression by keeping misfolded forms of alpha-synuclein from building up in the brain and harming nerve cells, a preclinical study involving rat brain cells suggests. If the findings hold true in humans, they…

Low to moderate doses of CAP-003, a gene therapy in the pipeline from Capsida Biotherapeutics, increased levels of glucocerebrosidase (GCase), an enzyme that’s missing or faulty in some people with Parkinson’s disease, in the brain of nonhuman primates. Given as a one-time infusion into the vein, or intravenously,…

NE3107, now known as bezisterim, eased both motor and nonmotor symptoms when used in combination with a standard carbidopa/levodopa regimen in people with Parkinson’s disease, study data showed. Twice-daily dosing with the anti-inflammatory small molecule being developed by BioVie resulted in better motor function upon waking, more restful…