News

Vanqua Bio has raised $85 million in funding to accelerate the development of its small molecule technology platform for treating neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Led by Omega Funds, the Series B financing will advance the research of Dimitri Krainc, MD, PhD, of Northwestern University, an…

Intrance Medical Systems has raised $8 million to support a planned U.S. clinical trial of its fixed-dose combination of levodopa, carbidopa, and entacapone in advanced Parkinson’s disease patients. The combo therapy, originally developed by Lobsor Pharmaceuticals and sold under the name Lecigon in Nordic countries —  Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and their…

Treatment with an investigational medicine called SBT-272 markedly eased signs of Parkinson’s disease in a mouse model, according to its developer Stealth BioTherapeutics. “We are excited about the promise of SBT-272 as a potential therapeutic for neurodegenerative diseases,” Reenie McCarthy, the CEO of Stealth, said in a…

Enrollment of Parkinson’s patients has begun in a clinical trial seeking to determine whether high-intensity endurance treadmill exercise can slow progression in people with early-stage disease who have not begun taking Parkinson’s medications. Called a Study in Parkinson Disease of Exercise, or SPARX3 (NCT04284436), the Northwestern University-sponsored clinical trial…

The spread of alpha-synuclein aggregates in the brain is dependent on a protein receptor called TLR2, and also a transcription factor called NF-KB, a study indicates. Blocking these proteins — which may be done with medications inhaled through the nose — may be a useful therapeutic approach in Parkinson’s…

To better understand how Parkinson’s disease affects minorities, the Parkinson’s Foundation is aiming to increase participation of this patient population, and particularly that of Latinos, in its PD GENEration genetic testing program. Doctors don’t yet have a clear picture of how Parkinson’s uniquely affects the Latino community,…

ParkinSense, an upcoming startup out of the University of Toronto, has secured funding to advance a new monitoring system that’s designed to better assess tremors and other motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease. The new funding will drive the company’s wearable device — which it hopes will help…

A molecule showed a potential in early studies to slow the production of alpha-synuclein, a protein that forms large toxic aggregates in the brains of  people with Parkinson’s disease, a research team reported. Called A-443654, the molecule lowered to normal levels the protein’s production in nerve cells derived from a…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Sinopia Biosciences $3.3 million to advance the development of its small molecule candidate for Parkinson’s disease. Sinopia will use the grant to move the small molecule forward through investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies. An IND is a medicine that has…

Changes in the genetic material of the sebum — the “oil” on the skin’s surface — are evident in people with Parkinson’s, and analyzing this skin surface lipid may aid in diagnosing the disease, scientists report. Their study, “Non-invasive diagnostic tool for Parkinson’s disease by sebum RNA…