Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a Phase 3 trial to test multiple infusions of fat-derived mesenchymal stem cells — ones obtained from healthy donors — in people with Parkinson’s disease. The Hope Biosciences Stem Cell Research Foundation (HBSCRF), which received the authorization, already has a…

Aleva Neurotherapeutic’s innovative directional deep brain stimulation (DBS) system — called directSTIM — for Parkinson’s disease has been implanted in the first patient participating in a German study. That study, which aims to demonstrate improved outcomes when using this DBS technology in individuals with Parkinson’s and essential tremor,…

A new biobank in Sweden, containing blood samples from patients with Parkinson’s disease and age- and sex-matched healthy people — along with data regarding the individuals’ lifestyles and medical histories — may help researchers investigate the underlying mechanisms of the neurodegenerative disorder and find new treatments. The biobank is…

Levodopa, a standard treatment for Parkinson’s disease, reached the brain faster when given as a gel into the nasal cavity than as an intravenous (into-the-vein) injection, a new mouse study shows. The findings support the potential of intranasal administration as a way to reach the brain and bypass…

Creative Medical Technology Holdings has extended the applications of its investigational “regenerative immunotherapy” ImmCelz to include Parkinson’s disease, after seeing positive preclinical data from a mouse model of the disease, according to a company press release. ImmCelz inhibited the onset of Parkinson’s symptoms in a mouse model of the…

The Parkinson’s Foundation has received a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support a photo exhibition by Los Angeles-based artist Safi Alia Shabaik documenting her father’s journey with Parkinson’s disease. “I am humbled and elated by the NEA’s thoughtful recognition of this project…

A rapid, inexpensive, and easy-to-use test can help to assess a loss of smell, and with greater accuracy than current “scratch and sniff” tests, allowing neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease to be suspected at early stages, researchers report. Their study “A novel capsule-based smell test fabricated via coaxial…

Motor deficits, including problems with balance skills and gait or walking speed, are linked with non-motor symptoms of cognition — such as verbal fluency, memory, and attention — in people with Parkinson’s disease, a recent study suggests. Researchers believe these findings may help to identify cognitive deficits and…

Editor’s note: The Parkinson’s News Today team is providing in-depth coverage of the 2021 Virtual AAN Annual Meeting, held April 17–22. Go here to read stories from the conference. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) can lessen motor function impairments and reduce the need for medication for up to 10 years in…

People with Parkinson’s disease have an altered perception of movement when viewing abstract art as compared with their age- and education-matched healthy peers, a study found. These results suggest that motor responses, aesthetic appreciation, and motion are somehow linked — and that altered neurological function, such as that observed…