Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

Electrical-pulse brain stimulation eases a common mobility problem that Parkinson’s patients face — their walk freezing in mid-step, a study reports. The research in the journal Movement Disorders involved using low-current pulses to alleviate what Parkinson’s experts call gait freezing. The title of the study is “Multitarget transcranial direct current stimulation…

A second group of Parkinson’s patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial have received International Stem Cell Corporation’s neural stem cell therapy. The main goal of the trial (NCT02452723) at Royal Melbourne Hospital is to see whether ISCO’s stem cell transplants are safe, and patients can tolerate them. All patients…

The Parkinson’s Foundation is establishing a new program offering genetic testing and counseling to Parkinson’s patients within its Centers of Excellence network to advance research, knowledge, and patient care. The foundation’s new Genetic Initiative will create the largest database of genetic data for active Parkinson’s disease. The information will…

University of Pennsylvania researchers used a new technology that mimics the way animated movies capture a person’s movement to show the different shapes of alpha-synuclein protein, which, when badly arranged, become toxic to neurons and trigger Parkinson’s disease. The results advance researchers’ knowledge of the mechanisms leading to…

People with Parkinson’s disease are being recruited for a new clinical trial testing nilotinib, an FDA-approved leukemia treatment, in a range of patients. The two-part Phase 2 trial (NCT03205488), called NILO-PD, is a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study taking place at 25 sites across the U.S. Part one will evaluate the…

New technology that uses MRI-guided focused ultrasound to target areas of the brain affected by Parkinson’s disease and improve motor symptoms will be further tested in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial. Led by the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) and the University of Maryland School…

Cardiolipin, a molecule inside nerve cells, may be a key player behind nerve cell death in Parkinson’s disease, a study suggests. Researchers found that cardiolipin, a lipid inside mitochondria — the cell’s energy source — ensures the correct 3-D arrangement (folding) of the alpha-synuclein protein. Misfolding of this protein…

Genervon Biopharmaceuticals announced its future goals for investigational therapy GM6 in a recent presentation on its multi-target drug development strategy to tackle neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease. Genervon presented its hypothesis that a multi-target drug approach is the key to curing complex neurological disorders at the 2018 BIO CEO…

Mutations in mitochondria, which result in a shortage of energy, may be an underlying cause of movement difficulties associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD), a study suggests. The study, “PINK1 Phosphorylates MIC60/Mitofilin to Control Structural Plasticity of Mitochondrial Crista Junctions,” was published in the journal Molecular Cell. Parkinson’s…

A new personalized medical strategy that can replicate human biological systems in a small chip may help predict patients’ response to certain treatments based on their genetic makeup. Called Patient-on-a-Chip, the joint initiative by Cedars-Sinai and Emulate combines Cedars scientists’ expertise in stem cell technology with Emulate’s Human Emulation System,…