Patricia Inácio, PhD,  science writer—

Parkinson’s disease patients treated with Gocovri (amantadine) experienced a 41 percent decrease in levodopa-induced dyskinesia compared to 14 percent of healthy people who took placebos. That analysis of two Phase 3 trials are summarized in the study “Pooled Analyses of Phase III Studies of ADS-5102 (Amantadine) Extended-Release Capsules for…

Lundbeck will acquire the biopharmaceutical Prexton Therapeutics, obtaining the development and commercialization rights to foliglurax (PTX002331), an investigational therapy currently in Phase 2 trials for Parkinson’s disease. Foliglurax is a small molecule modulator that activates nerve cells with a set of specific glutamate receptors called mGluR4, and compensates…

Researchers have discovered the 3D structure of a protein involved in inflammation, with implications in developing future treatments for Parkinson’s disease. The study from Saint Louis University School of Medicine, “The structure of iPLA2β reveals dimeric active sites and suggests mechanisms of regulation and localization” was published in the…

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…