Patricia Inácio, PhD,  science writer—

An upcoming Australian study will investigate the potential benefits of pool walking — walking in a swimming pool versus on land — to ease the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The study’s main goal, according to its researcher, is to determine whether such aquatic walking can ease the sudden…

The Parkinson’s Foundation has awarded over $2.2 million in community health grants to 143 programs that will benefit Parkinson’s disease patients across 42 U.S. states, as well as efforts in Australia and Taiwan. This year’s grants, which mark the program’s 10th year, range from $5,000 to a maximum of $25,000 and aim…

Forest Hills Lab announced that it has U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permission to open a Phase 2 trial into the tolerability and potential efficacy of FHL-301 in people in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. The double-blinded trial will randomly assign patients to the investigative treatment or to a…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given fast track designation to the investigational cell therapy DA01, now in a clinical trial in people with advanced Parkinson’s disease. Developed by BlueRock Therapeutics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bayer, DA01 is made up of dopamine-producing nerve cells derived from…

Ipsen has entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Integrative Research Laboratories (IRLAB) to develop and commercialize mesdopetam, an experimental therapy for reducing levodopa-induced dyskinesia, or involuntary movements, in people with Parkinson’s disease. “We are excited to enter this licensing agreement with IRLAB. By working in partnership,…

A £1.375 ($1.9) million grant from the Edmond J. Safra Foundation will support a pioneering clinical trial aimed at speeding the development of new therapies for Parkinson’s disease. “This project will revolutionise the way we perform clinical trials of potentially disease-modifying drugs for people with Parkinson’s,” Thomas Foltynie, PhD, MD, a…

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…