News

AI video analysis tool helps assess Parkinson’s symptoms

A new open-source software called VisionMD may help doctors assess motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders with artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled video analysis, a study reports. Analyzing videos of patients tapping their fingers and doing other clinical tests can help clinicians understand disease progress and…

Different exercises may ease specific Parkinson’s symptoms

Different types of exercise can have different effects on Parkinson’s disease, a study suggests. For instance, tai chi or at-home bodyweight strength training can improve motor function, while tai chi or strength training with elastic bands and dumbbells can help ease freezing of gait. At the same time, home-based…

New AI tool may predict different structures of amyloid fibrils: Study

A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool may help predict the structure of amyloid fibrils, that is, misfolded protein fibers that accumulate in the brain of people with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. Called Ribbonfold, the tool is designed to address the complex and variable structures of misfolded proteins by…

Students investigate role of occupational therapy in Parkinson’s

Researchers and students at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL) are developing evidence-based occupational therapy practices to help people with Parkinson’s disease manage their condition and regain the ability to participate in the activities they enjoy. The research aims to help occupational therapy professionals deliver the best possible…

Photopharmics raises $6M for Parkinson’s light therapy device

Photopharmics will use $6 million in newly secured funding to complete a Phase 3 clinical trial testing Celeste, its light therapy device for Parkinson’s disease, and to support precommercialization efforts before submitting regulatory applications. The ongoing Phase 3 trial (NCT04453033), dubbed Light for PD, has enrolled more…

Parkinson’s cell therapy bemdaneprocel shortens off time

Adults with Parkinson’s disease treated with the cell therapy bemdaneprocel spent less time in off periods, when symptoms were not adequately controlled despite medication use. That’s according to final published data from the exPDite Phase 1 trial (NCT04802733), which also showed that the cell therapy boosted the time…

1ST Biotherapeutics joins MJFF LRRK2 gene-targeting program

1ST Biotherapeutics said it joined an initiative led by the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) aimed at advancing therapies that target the LRRK2 gene, a key genetic contributor to Parkinson’s disease. The initiative, MJFF’s LRRK2 Investigative Therapeutics Exchange (LITE) program, brings together biotech companies and academic research…