Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

SQZ Biotechnologies has received a $2 million grant to work out a way to turn a patient’s own immune cells into nerve cells (neurons) capable of producing dopamine, offering a new approach to treat Parkinson’s disease. Valid for two years, the Phase II grant for Small Business Innovation…

A form of the alpha-synuclein protein that can build up in the skin could help distinguish Parkinson’s disease from other neurodegenerative disorders, a study has found. Skin biopsy samples taken from Parkinson’s disease patients all showed a buildup of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein (p-syn), which is alpha-synuclein with an added phosphate…

Excessive sweating, known as hyperhidrosis, is fairly common among people with Parkinson’s and can worsen as the disease progresses, a three-year study of patients in early disease stages reported. Researchers also observed that hyperhidrosis was associated with motor symptoms like dyskinesia (uncontrollable movements) and often accompanied non-motor symptoms…

Machine learning — a form of artificial intelligence that allows a computer to adapt, analyze, and infer from patterns in data — can distinguish by voice people with Parkinson’s disease from those without it and track disease stages by continued changes in voice quality, a study reported. Using speech recordings,…

A protein modification that disrupts how cells dispose of “worn-out” proteins may promote the spread of the alpha-synuclein toxic clumps known to cause Parkinson’s disease, a study reported. “We think our findings about this apparent disease-driving process are important for developing compounds that can specifically inhibit the process of…

SMARTfit gym equipment, which combines movement with cognitive tasks in a playful way, may lead to better motor and cognitive functions than  conventional physiotherapy, according to a small study in people with Parkinson’s disease. The equipment can be used easily and safely by anyone, researchers say, and the training…

Mutations in the enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GCase) prevent it from entering the lysosome — a cell’s recycling center — where it clears away unwanted materials such as alpha-synuclein toxic clumps that cause Parkinson’s disease and ultimately kill nerve cells, a recent study found. These encouraging findings may help to validate efforts to…

IMAC Holdings has completed dosing the second group of patients in its Phase 1 clinical trial testing umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy for the treatment of bradykinesia due to Parkinson’s disease. About a year ago, a first group of five patients received a low dose of the…

Women with Parkinson’s disease in China appear to have a poorer quality of life than do men, a study of patients at a Beijing rehabilitation center reported. Researchers observed that women experienced more physical discomfort, were more likely to perceive stigma, and expressed fewer positive emotions. When caring for…

Loss of a protein called DJ-1, which is linked to the development of early-onset Parkinson’s disease, may also mean a longer-lasting immune response, according to a new study. Researchers observed that immunoaging — a decline in immune function with aging — was slowed in a man with Parkinson’s who…