News

Researchers at two world-renowned institutions have presented a new theory of how Parkinson’s disease (PD) and its symptoms develop— challenging the dominant view that PD emerges as the protein alpha-synuclein spreads from neuron to neuron in an infection-like manner. In an opinion piece, “The Threshold Theory for Parkinson’s Disease,” the two…

The MC1R gene is associated with ginger hair and fair skin and has been considered a risk factor for melanoma (skin cancer). Now, a new study hypothesizes that this gene also may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease by affecting dopamine production. The study “The Melanoma-Linked “Redhead” MC1R Influences…

NeuroDerm’s Phase 2 Parkinson’s disease (PD) trial of ND0612H — a continuous infusion of levodopa and carbidopa delivered by a small belt pump — has met both primary and key secondary endpoints by demonstrating that the treatment effectively reduced “off-time” and increased the number of patients with advanced…

Patients who have had deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treat diseases that are not approved for the technique may not be reimbursed by an insurance company for the procedure’s costs, even though they were initially told the treatment was covered, according to a new study published in JAMA Neurology. In the…

The Parkinson’s Foundation has received $250,000 to come up with new ways to eliminate improve healthcare for women that have Parkinson’s disease (PD). The foundation’s project, “Women and PD TALK,” comes out of a recognition that historically, PD research has been too focused on men. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI),…

Scientists have developed a new computer-based method that shows great promise in improving the accuracy of diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The study, “Ensembles of Deep Learning Architectures for the Early Diagnosis of the Alzheimer’s Disease,” was published in the International Journal Of Neural Systems journal.

Georgetown University will conduct a clinical trial of Novartis’ cancer therapy Tasigna (nilotinib) as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease. The Phase 2 trial follows a report last year that Tasigna can improve both cognitive and movement symptoms in Parkinson’s patients. Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) researchers will perform the trial…

Jazz Pharmaceuticals has enrolled the first patient in a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating its drug candidate JZP-110 as a potential treatment for excessive sleepiness in patients with Parkinson’s disease. JZP-110 is a selective dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (DNRI) in late-stage development for the treatment of excessive sleepiness…

The International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) is hosting the 1st Pan American Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Congress (PAS Congress) this weekend. The inaugural meeting, whose theme is “Movement Disorders in the Americas: State of the Art,” runs from today until Sunday, Feb. 26, at the…

FORMA Therapeutics has received a research grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to expand its efforts to find a treatment for the disease. FORMA is conducting its protein-based research in collaboration with the University of Liverpool and the UK Medical Research Council (MRC). The work focuses…