Patricia Inácio, PhD,  science writer—

Targeting reactive astrocytes — star-shaped cells in the brain that play a supportive role for neurons but can promote brain inflammation when deregulated — could pave the way for novel therapies for neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s disease, according to the findings of a new study. The study found that…

A potential anti-inflammatory therapy for Parkinson’s disease may be evaluated in clinical trials within the next year. The investigative treatment combines a low-dose formulation of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), two natural signaling molecules made in the body to help coordinate the activity of immune cells.

An observational clinical trial in Canada that’s investigating the role of the small intestinal microbiome — the population of natural microorganisms living in the gastrointestinal tract — in Parkinson’s disease is now recruiting participants. Its researchers specifically aim to determine if Parkinson’s patients carry a unique microbial and metabolic…

A first participant has been dosed in Arvinas’ first-in-human Phase 1 trial testing ARV-102, its oral therapy candidate for neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy, or PSP, an atypical parkinsonian disorder. The Phase 1 trial — now enrolling healthy volunteers at the Centre for Human Drug…

Computer scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed software and an augmented reality (AR) headset that allows clinicians to analyze movement in people with Parkinson’s disease to help guide their physical therapy. Clinicians can also use their own AR headsets to immerse themselves in…

Suppressing astrocytes’ release of the pro-inflammatory molecule interleukin (IL)-6 reduced the loss of dopaminergic neurons, the nerve cells that are progressively lost in Parkinson’s disease, a new study reports. In Parkinson’s, astrocytes, the star-shaped cells that provide physical support for neurons in the brain, secrete high levels of IL-6…

A natural chemical modification — called O-GlcNAc — that occurs in specific building blocks of the alpha-synuclein protein can lessen its capacity to form toxic amyloid fibrils, a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, a study shows. “Taken together, we believe that these results have important implications for … the exploitation…

The department of neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is now part of the CurePSP Center of Care network, which works to enhance public awareness and advance research to better understand atypical parkinsonism. The network focuses on three neurodegenerative diseases: progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and…

Topline data from a Phase 3 clinical trial of buntanetap in early-stage Parkinson’s disease patients is expected soon, according to Annovis Bio, the therapy’s developer. Initially planned for the end of January, ongoing analysis to ensure “clean data” that are accurate and reliable was cited as the reason…

Scientists at Purdue University are advancing in lab studies multiple small molecule compounds aiming to prevent the protein aggregation associated with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and type 2 diabetes, and to safely get rid of existing clumps. Protein aggregation is the term for when proteins — usually abnormal or misfolded…