News

A gene called Ankrd16 can prevent the harmful protein aggregates that build up in neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, according to researchers. Their study, “ANKRD16 prevents neuron loss caused by an editing-defective tRNA synthetase,” published in the journal Nature, adds a new layer of knowledge about the underlying…

Affiris’ experimental Parkinson’s vaccine, Affitope PD01A, is safe and effectively triggers an immune response against the alpha-synuclein (aSyn) protein, data from a series of four consecutive clinical trials show. Results from the so-called AFF008 study program were recently presented at the Advances in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Therapies Focus Meeting (AAT-AD/PD) in…

Using a new tool, researchers were able to see how two different sets of neurons interact in mice to control movement. They believe the method, called spectrally resolved fiber photometry, may help in unraveling what goes wrong in the brains of Parkinson’s patients and those with other disorders. The research,…

Different brain cells determine which form of alpha-synuclein will be responsible for different Parkinson’s-related disorders, a new study suggests. The research, “Cellular milieu imparts distinct pathological α-synuclein strains in α-synucleinopathies,” was published in the journal Nature. Aggregates of the protein alpha-synuclein are characteristic of Parkinson’s, Lewy body…

Scientists are closer to understanding how toxic alpha-synuclein (α-syn) aggregates affect the nerve cells involved in memory, which may point to new therapeutic strategies to prevent the development of cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementias. The study, “α-Synuclein fibril-induced paradoxical structural and functional defects in…

Blocking an enzyme associated with inflammation and disease progression in Parkinson’s patients may by a promising way of  treating this neurodegenerative disorder, new research suggests. The study, “Soluble epoxide hydrolase plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease,” was published in the journal Proceedings of the…

Alnylam’s small RNA interference (RNAi) therapies were delivered successfully to the brain and spinal cord of a rat model, bringing promise to the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s. The company says it now plans to advance its pipeline of RNAi therapeutics into clinical development. The initial results of the preclinical study…

Eli Lilly is recruiting patients for its Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating LY3154207 as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD). Parkinson’s disease destroys the nerve cells that make dopamine, a key player in nerve cell communication and involved in movement control, cognition, memory, learning, attention, and sleep. Parkinson’s…

Charles River Laboratories International and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) extended their collaboration to accelerate the discovery of Parkinson’s disease therapies. The extension covers grants from MJFF to characterize two animal models of Parkinson’s — one where mice do not express alpha-synuclein (knockout), and another…

New methods to measure brain activity in dancers can be applied to develop new forms of treatment, such as dance-movement therapy, for movement-related disorders including Parkinson’s disease, according to a Finnish PhD candidate. Her research project, “Dance on Cortex – ERPs and Phase Synchrony in Dancers and Musicians during a…