News

PDGENEration, a new program offered through the Parkinson’s Foundation, will provide free genetic testing for people with Parkinson’s disease. Around 15% of Parkinson’s cases are thought to involve a significant genetic component — but genetic testing for the disease has not been common. “Mutations in several…

A review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that Parkinson’s patients treated with medications containing entacapone are at no increased risk of prostate cancer. As such, the agency stands by its current recommendations for the use of Stalevo (entacapone/carbidopa/levodopa) and Comtan (entacapone; brand name is Comtess…

A compound found in extra virgin olive oil may have beneficial effects in Parkinson’s disease, a study in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans shows. Researchers say the compound Tyrosol reduced oxidative stress and induced the expression of different protective genes in a model of Parkinsonism. Titled “…

High levels of corticosterone — a hormone that regulates energy, immune, and stress responses — is a risk factor for the development and progression of Parkinson’s disease, according to a mouse study. The study, “Chronic corticosterone aggravates behavioural and neuronal symptomatology in a mouse model of alpha-synuclein…

Drinking coffee may reduce tremors in Parkinson’s disease patients, but only among men, a recent study suggests. The study, “Sex-dependent Effects of Coffee Consumption on Newly Diagnosed Parkinson’s Disease,” was published recently in the journal BMC Neurology. There is some evidence that drinking coffee reduces the risk…

The experimental gene therapy AXO-Lenti-PD (OXB-102) was seen to be both safe and effective in a primate model of Parkinson’s disease, a study reported, supporting a clinical trial getting underway in patients. The findings were published in the journal Molecular Therapy Methods & Clinical Development in the paper, “…

Aware that non-contact boxing routines can improve the lives of Parkinson’s patients, Senior Helpers is sending six Rock Steady Boxing (RSB) coaches to the organization’s national conference. Senior Helpers, a leading nationwide provider of at-home care, will sponsor the Wilmington, North Carolina, coaches in attending the second annual…

Bayer has announced an agreement to acquire the cell therapy company BlueRock Therapeutics, and plans to open a clinical trial of a potential Parkinson’s stem cell-based treatment this year. BlueRock, which will remain an independent entity under the plan, has a portfolio that focuses on engineered stem cell…

Neuroscientists have developed a simple and inexpensive way to measure tremors, one of the main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, in lab mice using a smartphone. The new test showed comparable results to those generated with the expensive lab equipment currently used — opening a faster and more affordable way…

A scientist at the University of Sheffield in England has been awarded a £100,000 grant by Parkinson’s UK to develop a treatment that might slow or stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease and protect brain cells. The one-year grant, worth about $120,000, was given to Heather Mortiboys, a…