Vanda Pinto, PhD, science writer —

​​Vanda is a biochemist with a PhD in biomedicine from the University of Porto, Portugal. She conducted her postdoctoral research first at the Bristol Medical School, U.K., studying the insulin-PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in diabetic nephropathy, then at the Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, where her focus was on glycosylation in lupus nephritis and inflammatory bowel disease. She next made the switch to science publishing, handling papers in biochemistry, molecular biology, and immunology.

Articles by Vanda Pinto

Algorithms Detect Parkinson’s Based on Verily Study Watch Data

A new analysis using machine-learning and sensor data from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), a digital health research program sponsored by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), successfully distinguished between people with and without Parkinson’s disease, according to a small study led by…

High Levels of Levodopa Found in Mucuna Pruriens Supplements

Very high levels of levodopa — a compound commonly prescribed to treat Parkinson’s disease — were detected in some over-the-counter supplements with extracts from Mucuna pruriens, a type of bean that naturally contains levodopa, a study has found. In many of the tested supplements, the amount of levodopa…

Kyowa Kirin Stops KW-6356 Program Despite Promising Results

Kyowa Kirin has discontinued the clinical development of its investigational treatment, KW-6356, for Parkinson’s disease, despite Phase 2 clinical trial data showing promising results as a monotherapy or in combination with levodopa. The decision was based on the “global regulatory landscape, development hurdles, and timelines for potential market…

Scientists Discover How to Turn Stem Cells Into Dopaminergic Neurons

A new method for turning specific human stem cells, called pluripotent stem cells, into neurons that can produce dopamine — the signaling molecule, essential for controlling movement, that is missing in patients with Parkinson’s disease — has now been developed by researchers in the U.S. “Scientists have been trying…

Biogen and Alectos Team Up to Advance AL01811 for Parkinson’s

Biogen and Alectos Therapeutics have signed an exclusive license and collaboration agreement to further develop and commercialize AL01811, a small molecule therapy, as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease. “Through this collaboration with Alectos, we hope to improve the lives of people living with Parkinson’s disease by advancing…

Parkinson’s and Essential Tremor Share ‘Central Origin,’ Study Suggests

Accidental falls and co-existing conditions, or comorbidities, like fatigue, depression, and sleeping problems are frequent in older adults with either Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor syndrome, suggesting “similar central origins” for these two disorders, a study reported. Its data also support essential tremor being found in older Parkinson’s patients, and Parkinson’s in those…