News

D-mine Pump, a portable micro-infusion pump designed to continuously deliver apomorphine under the skin (subcutaneously) to patients with Parkinson’s disease, has received the European CE approval and now will be marketed in several European countries. CE means “European Conformity,” a certification mark that indicates conformity with European health, safety,…

Direct delivery of two dopamine-synthesizing enzymes to the midbrain, using a safe and inactive form of an adenovirus, was able to effectively ease signs of motor difficulties in a primate model of Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. Continuous dopamine production via a gene therapy approach may be a promising one-time…

Seelos Therapeutics has acquired the rights for a gene therapy program targeting the regulation of the SNCA gene, which provides instructions to make alpha-synuclein, a key player in the development of Parkinson’s disease. The accumulation of abnormal (misfolded) alpha-synuclein protein can result in toxic aggregates that lead…

Parkinson’s disease has typically been classified as a neurodegenerative disease with much of treatment focused on managing symptoms. However, recent connections between the brain and gut microbiome as it is influenced by nutrition, oxidative stress, and the environment has been gaining interest. In a 2015 article…

Altered forms of the alpha-synuclein protein travel along the vagus nerve from the gut to the brain where they accumulate, according to a study in mice. It also suggests that blocking this transport could prevent the progression of Parkinson’s disease. The work lends support to theories that Parkinson’s begins…

High levels of a protein called SIRT2 in the blood may serve as a diagnostic biomarker to differentiate between Parkinson’s patients and those with atypical Parkinson syndromes, a study finds. Levels of this marker also may aid in diagnosing Parkinson’s at early stages. The study, “Elevated Serum SIRT 2…

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) can help to alleviate some urinary symptoms — such as urinary frequency, urgency, and incontinence — in Parkinson’s patients, and is particularly helpful to women, a large study reports. The study, “Clinical study of the effects of deep brain stimulation on urinary dysfunctions in…

A saliva test to detect oral microbes may offer an accurate way of detecting Parkinson’s in its early stages and further understanding of the disease, a study reports. The findings, “The oral microbiome of early stage Parkinson’s disease and its relationship with functional measures of motor and non-motor function,”…

Insoluble alpha-synuclein protein has long been thought to be the main component of Parkinson’s hallmark Lewy bodies, but researchers have now reported these abnormal aggregates are also made of cell membrane fragments, fat-like substances, and other cellular components. This finding was reported in a study, “Lewy pathology in…

Delivering a compound called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide to the striatum, a key brain region involved in motor control, can ease Parkinson’s symptoms and reduce dopamine-producing neuronal loss in a mouse model of the disease, a study finds. The study, “Protective effects of β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide against motor…