Patricia Inácio, PhD,  science writer—

Parkinson’s UK is paving the way for a future clinical trial that will continue to test a naturally occurring protein, the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor or GDNF, as a potential therapy for slowing Parkinson’s disease progression. The new trial will follow a 2019 clinical study of…

Blackfynn announced that its is acquiring the rights to a candidate Parkinson’s disease treatment that others gave up on but is thought ready to move into pivotal Phase 3 testing. Neither the investigative treatment nor the company that initially developed it — or other details of this acquisition — were…

Q-State Biosciences has developed a set of optimized antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that may serve as potential therapies for Parkinson’s disease patients with specific mutations, the company announced. These ASO candidates are designed for patients carrying mutations in the GBA gene, a key genetic risk factor for the disease’s development. Their…

A scientist at the University of Latvia claimed a journal’s Young Investigator Award for her research showing how small vesicles derived from stem cells could lessen motor symptoms in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease. Karīna Narbute’s work establishes a proof of concept for the potential of small vesicles —…

Vercise Genus, a fourth-generation system for deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treat people with Parkinson’s disease, is now available in the U.S.,  Boston Scientific, which markets the system, announced. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the system’s conditional use with full-body MRI scans, following a similar…

Teva has discontinued Spiroco (ropinirole) 4mg XL prolonged-release tablets due to factors out of the company’s control, according to an announcement from Parkinson’s UK. The company — which outside the U.S. manufactures ropinirole XL as a generic formulation in three concentrations — is still marketing Spiroco…

Two small clinical trials are assessing MRI-guided focused ultrasound as a nonsurgical alternative for targeting the striatum — a brain region involved in voluntary movement control — to better treat Parkinson’s patients and possibly stop disease progression. Both trials, in Spain and Canada, are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of MRI-guided…

Women who adhere closely to a Mediterranean diet in their 30s and 40s have a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease later in life, particularly once they reach their mid-60s, a large population-based Swedish study found. The study, “Mediterranean Dietary Pattern at Middle Age and Risk of Parkinson’s Disease: A…

A new method, originally developed to diagnose mad cow disease, shows effectiveness in measuring the buildup of alpha-synuclein in the skin of Parkinson’s disease patients, a new study reports. According to study authors, the findings indicate that using easily collectable patient skin samples may be a feasible method…

The Healthy Longevity Global Grand Challenge, founded by the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, has awarded a grant to develop Entopsis’ non-invasive, urine- and skin swab-based OpsisDx test for the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. The research to bring OpsisDx as a diagnostic test for Parkinson’s will…