News

A test to detect clumping alpha-synuclein protein in the blood — a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease — may help to diagnose the neurodegenerative condition and could also provide insight into how long an individual has been living with Parkinson’s, a new study reports. The study confirmed that the…

Merck‘s U.S. and Canada life sciences business, MilliporeSigma, signed a memorandum of understanding with Gene Therapy Research Institution (GTRI), a Japanese clinical-stage biotech company, to accelerate the development of a viral vector-based gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Under the terms of the non-binding agreement, which symbolizes the parties’…

Machine learning, a form of artificial intelligence (AI), was able to define three distinct subtypes of Parkinson’s disease based on how fast symptoms in newly diagnosed patients progressed, potentially helping doctors to more accurately detect the disease and predict its course. In the study led by Cornell University researchers,…

Depletion of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which occurs in people with Parkinson’s disease, disrupts the balance of motor pathways in the basal ganglia, a group of interconnected structures in the brain that facilitate movement, a study found. “We found that the relative strength of the two motor pathways switches in…

People with Parkinson’s disease and cognitive impairment experience more severe symptoms and require more care but appear to use healthcare services less often, a European study has found, suggesting that new models of care are needed to better support these patients. “Healthcare should be more targeted to help this…

Nearly one-quarter of deceased athletes with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease associated with repetitive head impacts, experienced Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms during their lives, according to a study researchers said is the largest to date exploring the links among contact sports, CTE, and parkinsonism. The researchers found that…

The Digital Medicine Society or DiMe, working with The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) and the Critical Path Institute (C-Path), has added digital tools for Parkinson’s disease research and clinical care to its library of digital health technologies. The interactive Library of Digital Measurement Products is an…

Brenig Therapeutics has raised $65 million to advance its lead candidate, LRRK inhibitor BT-267, into human clinical trials as a possible treatment for idiopathic (of unknown cause) and LRRK2-associated Parkinson’s disease. The funds will be used to test BT-267 in healthy volunteers in a first-in-human study, Brenig said.

Home-based exercise, such as aerobic, strength, or balance exercises, helps relieve overall motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, according to a meta-analysis. But benefits were only seen when patients exercised for a minimum of eight weeks, and no less than 30 times. The findings provide “clinicians and patients with clear…

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) has awarded a $6 million grant to Lario Therapeutics to advance early studies into CaV2.3 calcium channel inhibitors as a potential disease-modifying therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Lario’s preclinical program is being developed in collaboration with the Oxford…