News

Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may have more in common than previously thought. According to a recent study, a known ALS gene called SOD1 also may be involved in the development of Parkinson’s. This finding opens the possibility of treating Parkinson’s patients with therapies targeting SOD1 toxicity, which already have…

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Finland’s Herantis Pharma a patent covering the use of mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) to treat Parkinson’s disease and other neurological illnesses. The patent is related to a genetic sequence encoding MANF. Molecules such as MANF nucleic acids and MANF polypeptides, can be used…

Israel’s NeuroDerm will update its ND0612H and ND0701 therapies for Parkinson’s disease during the 21st International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders, scheduled for June 4-8 in Vancouver. ND0612H is a liquid formulation of levodopa/carbidopa (LD/CD) given subcutaneously to patients with advanced Parkinson’s. Trial 006 (NCT02577523) enrolled…

African-Americans are more likely to receive care for Parkinson’s disease in a hospital emergency room and have more hospital stays than whites, according to a U.S. study. Blacks also more likely to be treated for stroke in a hospital than whites, researchers said. Another finding was that both African-Americans and…

The American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) is collaborating with Smart Patients — an online community connecting Parkinson’s patients and their families — to extend APDA’s resources to help people living with the disease. Smart Patients provides resources so people can have the latest information related to their condition, share their questions and…

A range of biomarkers may help physicians predict which Parkinson’s disease patients will develop cognitive decline in the early years of a diagnosis, say researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. The information may help manage the disease better, but will be especially valuable in future clinical trials. For the…

Acorda Therapeutics will soon release novel data on its Phase 3 SPAN-PD trial (Study 004, NCT02240030) investigating the experimental drug Inbrija (CVT-301) as a potential therapy for patients with Parkinson’s disease. Acorda presents its poster, “Inhaled levodopa (CVT-301, 84-mg dose) significantly improves motor function during OFF periods in Parkinson’s disease…

People with Parkinson’s disease and related dementias are more likely to die younger than those of comparable age in the general population, often of ills linked to their neurological disease or of cardiovascular problems, a recent study by the Mayo Clinic found. Specifically, Parkinson’s patients…

Researchers from North Wales received a £33,000 (about $43,000) award to study the potential benefits of brain-stimulating computer games in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.  The scientific study titled, “Early stage feasibility assessment of a non-pharmacological intervention for motor…

Experts from ATCC — a leading nonprofit repository of biological materials — partnered with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research for a workshop at the recent International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) 2017 Annual Meeting. The workshop aimed to address best practices for providing…