News

A common gut bacteria called Bacilus subtilis (B. subtilis), which aids in digestion, shows the potential to counteract the misfolded alpha-synuclein protein central to Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study. B. subtilis, a so-called “good” bacteria, slowed the buildup of this protein in the nerve cells…

Cerevel Therapeutics announced its launch of a series of Phase 3 clinical trials to evaluate its investigational therapy tavapadon, designed to improve motor function in people with Parkinson’s disease. The company will conduct three 27-week trials to evaluate tavapadon’s efficacy, safety, and tolerability in fixed doses —…

A potential oral therapy for Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was seen to be safe and well-tolerated at various doses in a Phase 1 trial in healthy volunteers, its developer, Neuropore Therapies, announced. Steps are now underway to allow…

A team of researchers at Purdue University won a $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to advance the development of a synthetic neuron platform to support future studies into brain health and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. Diseases like Parkinson’s progressively damage and kill nerve cells,…

Biogen is adding Pfizer’s PF-05251749 — a regulator of the body’s inner clock — to its group of potential disease-modifying therapies for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Biogen plans to test PF-05251749 in an upcoming Phase 1 clinical trial as a treatment to correct irregular sleep wake…

Affiris is preparing for a Phase 2 clinical trial to test Affitope (PD01A), an experimental medicine that, if successful, could lead to a vaccine against  Parkinson’s disease. Affitope triggers the production of antibodies — molecules that recognize specific targets — against alpha-synuclein, a protein found in the…

Two Parkinson’s patients treated with AXO-Lenti-PD, an investigative gene therapy, in an ongoing clinical trial continue to show improvement 12 months later, Axovant, the therapy’s developer, said in a release. These findings at one year after treatment are important because this timepoint allows for a better assessment…

Together with dying nerve cells, dormant neurons also may be at the root cause of Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study in animal models. Reawakening these neurons by targeting a type of brain cells called astrocytes can restore dopamine production in the brain and reverse Parkinson’s…

The first participant has been recruited for a clinical trial in the United Kingdom that will test whether a class of medicines used mainly for dementia can help prevent falls in Parkinson’s disease patients. Led by the University of Bristol and the Royal United Hospitals (RUH) Bath NHS Foundation Trust,…

Medications used to manage impulse control disorders may not help Parkinson’s disease patients taking Mirapex (pramipexole) and Requip (ropinirole), and may even worsen their episodes, according to new research. The study, titled “What drugs modify the risk of iatrogenic impulse-control disorders…