Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

Two new mutations in the LRRK2 gene have been identified as likely causes of familial Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. Further studies on these potential “disease-causing variants should help us to better understand how LRRK2 dysfunction causes [Parkinson’s disease],” the researchers wrote. The study “Functional Analyses of…

People with Parkinson’s disease appear to have a gut microbiome — the population of microorganisms living in the intestines — that is shifted toward a pro-inflammatory state, a small study suggests. Looking particularly at a pro-inflammatory gut bacterial metabolite called trimethylamine (TMA), its researchers found significantly higher…

A Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating the investigational oral therapy BIIB122/DNL151 for the treatment of people with Parkinson’s disease has started dosing patients. The LUMA study (NCT05348785), led by Biogen in collaboration with Denali Therapeutics, is one of two late-stage trials planned for this year to further evaluate BIIB122/DNL151…

Scientists have developed tiny sensors that allow the high-resolution detection of dopamine — the brain chemical messenger progressively lost in people with Parkinson’s disease — in nerve cells grown in the lab. “These sensors visualise the release of dopamine from nerve cells with unprecedented resolution,” according to…

Preclinical research supports the potential of small molecules that modulate the immune system to halt Parkinson’s disease (PD) progression and ease motor symptoms. According to a new study, Aeterna Zentari’s autoimmunity-modifying biologicals (AIM Biologicals) were able to induce a state of immunotolerance in a mouse model of Parkinson’s…

Insoluble clumps of the alpha-synuclein protein accumulating in the brain — a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease — can affect patients’ voice, with changes likely occurring years before they develop motor symptoms, a new study suggests. The research, which used the zebra finch — a songbird native to Australia —…

The Parkinson’s Foundation has announced a major expansion of its PD GENEration national study to make genetic testing and counseling more available for people with Parkinson’s disease in the U.S. The study (NCT04057794), which now has 23 sites, aims to enroll 15,000 people in all 50…

PreciseDx’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform shows an ability to accurately diagnose Parkinson’s disease in people before they develop severely evident symptoms, according to a new study. Conducted in collaboration with The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), the study’s findings support the platform’s potential to aid in diagnosing Parkinson’s and allowing patients to begin…

The Riverside Health & Rehabilitation Center, an affiliate of National Health Care Associates, now has a comprehensive program aimed at improving physical health and cognition for those with Parkinson’s disease. The program, housed at Riverside’s facility in East Hartford, Connecticut, is also open for people…

PolyCore Therapeutics has secured a seed investment to advance its lead compound PCT-3012, designed to treat motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease without triggering levodopa-induced dyskinesia, or uncontrollable body movements. The investment, by Xontogeny and Ben Franklin Technology Partners, will enable studies supporting a potential…