News

The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) and Massachusetts General Hospital have announced an initiative to enhance diversity in Parkinson’s disease research. Fostering Inclusivity in Research Engagement for Underrepresented Populations in Parkinson’s Disease (FIRE-UP PD) is an MJFF-funded study that will establish and assess outreach programs in Boston, Massachusetts, Weston,…

Yumanity Therapeutics announced the start of a Phase 1 clinical study in healthy volunteers that will assess the safety and tolerability of YTX-7739, a potential disease-modifying therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Trial results are expected to be announced in the first quarter of 2020. YTX-7739 is designed to cross the blood-brain-barrier…

MIT Lincoln Laboratory researchers are developing an artificial gut to study how the human microbiome — the trillions of microorganisms and their genetic material that live within our body, and are as unique to a person as fingerprints — influences the onset and progression of diseases linked to changes…

High intensity interval training for 12 weeks can significantly improve neuronal activity and delay progression of Parkinson’s disease, correlating with an improvement in patients’ quality of life, according to a recent study. The scientific poster, “High intensity interval training elevates circulating BDNF and miRNAs level in…

In calling for a public health campaign to promote a brain-healthy lifestyle, an Oxford Health Policy Forum report says people in middle age have a 10- to 20-year window of opportunity to potentially reduce the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s (PD), or to delay progression.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is more common among males, but it tends to progress faster in females. This and other sex-based differences in the neurodegenerative disease were highlighted in a recent review, titled “Parkinson’s Disease in Women and Men: What’s the Difference?” and published in the…

Reduced viability and impaired activity of monocytes — a subset of immune cells that circulate in the blood — may contribute to the progression of Parkinson’s disease. That discovery, by researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark, may further understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in the development and progression of…

Interim results from the ongoing Phase 3 HARMONY study show that treatment with Nuplazid (pimavanserin) significantly delays time to a psychosis relapse in patients with dementia-related disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Evaluation by an independent data monitoring committee recommended an early stop to this placebo-controlled…

A patient’s perception of how Parkinson’s disease affects their motor and non-motor skills reflects clinical assessments of disease severity, a study has found. The findings of the study were presented in the poster, “Modeling the Effect of Patient’s Perception of Non-Motor and Motor Function on Parkinson’s Disease Severity,”…

Electronically monitoring Parkinson’s symptoms as people go about their day is a feasible way of collecting clinically relevant data, a proof-of-concept study shows. Titled “Monitoring Parkinson’s disease symptoms during daily life: a feasibility study,” the study was published in the journal npj Parkinson’s Disease.  Currently, most healthcare…