News

Pretzel Therapeutics has launched a Phase 1 clinical trial to study PX578, a therapy designed to boost the function of mitochondria, the cell’s energy-producing powerhouses, and address conditions caused by faulty energy production. These include rare genetic conditions and neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The…

When used as a solo therapy, solengepras (CVN424) — an oral treatment being developed by Cerevance — was seen to lessen both functional and nonmotor symptoms in people with early, untreated Parkinson’s disease. That’s according to top-line results from the Phase 2 ASCEND trial (NCT06006247), which…

Nitrase Therapeutics’ NDC-0524, an antibody therapy for Parkinson’s disease, significantly reduced alpha-synuclein aggregation and spreading in mouse models of the disease, according to preclinical data released by the company. The antibody targets nitrated alpha-synuclein, a misfolded form of the protein that forms toxic clumps in dopaminergic neurons, the nerve cells…

The flamingo exercise — training to stand on one leg, as the bright-pink wading birds often do — was shown to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls among people with Parkinson’s disease in a Turkish study. Such balance training was found most effective when the exercise was…

Medications commonly used to treat conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and pain may delay Parkinson’s disease onset, according to a U.S. study. Analyses found that anti-hypertensives such as adrenergic blockers, cholesterol-lowering statins, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were strongly associated with later onset disease. In contrast,…

Performing cognitive tasks while walking may help distinguish between early Parkinson’s disease and multiple system atrophy (MSA), a neurodegenerative disorder with similar symptoms, a study suggests. MSA patients had more walking impairments alongside higher brain activity during cognitive tasks while walking than Parkinson’s patients, the research shows. “We…

A new positron emission tomography (PET) developed by Merck can enter the brains of people with Parkinson’s and highlight the toxic alpha-synuclein fibrils responsible for nerve cell loss, a small first-in-human study shows. Working with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), researchers recruited eight…

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month and, in the U.S. and across the globe this year, patients, caregivers, medical professionals, and advocates will be focusing their attention on helping to empower those living with the neurological disease by providing educational resources, fostering community, and providing opportunities to get involved. World Parkinson’s…

A new positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer can accurately visualize inflammation within the healthy human brain, a first-in-human study found. By using a marker that binds to COX-2, a key enzyme associated with brain inflammation or neuroinflammation, researchers were able to quantify low levels of this enzyme in healthy individuals.

A new collaborative effort between Mayo Clinical Laboratories and Amprion will expand access to the diagnostic company’s SAAmplify–αSYN test — designed to detect the presence of abnormal alpha-synuclein protein in people suspected of having neurodegenerative diseases — across the U.S., according to a joint press release.