News

High-performance brain imaging may aid diagnosis, treatment

A new ultra-high-performance brain imaging PET system called NeuroEXPLORER allows for the direct imaging of deep regions of the brain, that is, the brain nuclei, and may help diagnose and advance treatments for brain diseases, including Parkinson’s disease. The research was presented at the 2024 Society of Nuclear…

Genetic variants tied to mortality, motor progression in Parkinson’s

Six genetic variants associated with mortality and motor progression have been discovered in people with Parkinson’s disease. These newly detected genetic factors that influenced disease progression were largely different from those that increased Parkinson’s risk, researchers found. “This work will help us to better understand the biology of [Parkinson’s]…

Blocking metabolizing bacteria may boost levodopa in Parkinson’s

Preventing the growth of gut bacteria that cause levodopa (L-dopa) to be broken down before it reaches the brain could help boost its therapeutic effects in Parkinson’s disease, according to recent preclinical research. A family of molecules called mitochondrial-targeted drugs (MTDs) were found to inhibit the levodopa-metabolizing bacteria Enterococcus…

Alchemab wins $595,000 MJFF grant for Parkinson’s research

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) has awarded a $595,000 grant to Alchemab Therapeutics to advance research on the therapeutic effects of an antibody targeting the prostaglandin pathway in people with Parkinson’s disease. The grant comes from the foundation’s Parkinson’s Disease Therapeutics Pipeline Program,…