Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

FGF-1, Zhittya Genesis Medical’s treatment candidate, appeared safe and effective at improving motor and cognitive function in  the first Parkinson’s disease patients given the therapy in an early clinical trial and followed for six months. That’s according to a press release from the company that also announced a…

Both type 2 diabetes and prediabetes — a condition in which blood sugar levels are abnormally high, but not high enough to constitute diabetes — are significantly associated with poorer cognition in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a small study from South Korea. These findings add to previous…

Among people undergoing surgery to remove a damaged spinal disc in the neck, those with Parkinson’s disease had significantly longer in-hospital stays and a greater risk of minor adverse events, according to an analysis of data collected from the U.S. National Inpatient Sample database. No differences were seen, however,…

Changes in the structure of 76 proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of people with Parkinson’s disease were seen when compared with those of healthy individuals, a study reported. Its researchers believe their work is the first to look at protein structure — rather than abundance — to identify potential…

Metabolon is teaming up with Tracking Parkinson’s, the world’s largest long-term study into Parkinson’s disease, to identify novel metabolic biomarkers of disease progression. The discoveries may lead to personalized treatments and better patient care. “We are extremely enthusiastic about partnering with Tracking Parkinson’s to further the understanding…

Highland Instruments will use its new technology — called the Integrated Motion Analysis Suite or IMAS — to objectively improve the evaluation of motor function in Parkinson’s disease patients undergoing treatment with its novel noninvasive brain stimulation device, called Electrosonic Stimulation (ESStim). IMAS will now be included in an…

Early studies in nerve cells and a rat model of Parkinson’s disease support the potential of fosgonimeton, also known as ATH-1017, to be neuroprotective and possibly disease modifying, Athira Pharma, the therapy’s developer, reported. Data from preclinical work showed that the therapy increased cell survival in the…

InMed Pharmaceuticals will launch a new program – the INM-900 series – that will investigate the therapeutic potential of its cannabinoid analogs in neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s, the company announced in a press release. Cannabinoids, also called phytocannabinoids, are the active chemicals that give the cannabis plant…

MeiraGTx’s new Phase 1/2 clinical trial of AAV-GAD, its investigational gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease, has started dosing patients, the company announced in a press release. “We are now dosing patients with adeno-associated virus (AAV) encoding glutamic acid decarboxylase (AAV-GAD), an investigational gene therapy product…

A specific mutation in the LRRK2 gene — whose variants are often associated with Parkinson’s disease – renders immune cells called macrophages more susceptible to death after infection, according to new research that the scientists say gets back to basics. The team say this genetic variant, known as the…