Patricia Inácio, PhD,  science writer—

Researchers have developed short gene promoters — structures that act like switches to turn on genes — that may boost the effectiveness of gene therapies targeting the central nervous system. These promoters allow for the delivery of larger genes into the central nervous system while keeping them active for…

Zhichan powder, a traditional Chinese medicine, contains several active compounds that may be of therapeutic value in Parkinson’s disease, researchers suggest. Their study, “Network Pharmacology Analysis on Zhichan Powder in the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease,” appeared in the journal Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening. Parkinson’s is…

The levels of levodopa, one of the gold-standard treatments in Parkinson’s disease, may be assessed using a fast, simple, low-cost, fluorescent-based method, a new study suggests. The study, “Blue and green emission-transformed fluorescent copolymer: Specific detection of levodopa of anti-Parkinson drug in human serum,” was published in…

The Phase 2 RESTORE-1 trial testing the investigational gene therapy VY-AADC has suspended the screening and enrollment of new Parkinson’s disease patients to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the study’s protocols and on the safety of participants, Voyager Therapeutics has announced. Patient enrollment…

Anavex Life Sciences announced plans to continue to screen and enroll patients into its active trials for Alzheimer’s disease and Rett syndrome, in accordance to institutional rules and government guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic. A Phase 2 study of people with dementia linked to Parkinson’s disease is fully…

A clinical study will test the potential of a specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique to diagnose Parkinson’s disease at early stages. The 18-month project, supported by a grant from the Center for Clinical and Translational Science in the U.K., will take place at the University…

A Phase 2/3 trial (Study 301) testing Addex Therapeutic’s candidate dipraglurant for people with levodopa-induced dyskinesia associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD-LID) has been postponed — until further notice — due to the continued spread of COVID-19 in Europe and the U.S., where the trial was set to…

Enrollment in the Phase 1/2 PROPEL trial, evaluating the safety, tolerability, and early efficacy of PR001 — a one-time gene therapy — for Parkinson’s disease associated with mutations in the GBA1 gene, is progressing at two centers in New York and patient dosing is continuing. Prevail Therapeutics,…

Sangamo and Biogen are teaming up to develop gene therapies for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as another neuromuscular disease target and up to nine undisclosed neurological disorders. The collaboration will leverage Sangamo’s proprietary zinc finger protein (ZFP) technology, designed to target almost any sequence…

Treatment with cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF), developed by Herantis Pharma, was safe and well-tolerated among patients with advanced-stage Parkinson’s disease, according to topline results from a Phase1/2 clinical trial. The therapy also showed promise in measures of dopaminergic function in some patients. CDNF is based…