News

Link between RAB32 mutation, Parkinson’s focus of research grant

A three-year grant from Parkinson Canada will allow a Canadian researcher to investigate the mechanisms by which a recently found mutation in the RAB32 gene is linked to Parkinson’s disease. The $135,000 grant will allow Jay Penney, PhD, associate professor at the University of Prince Edward Island in…

Phase 3 trial of prasinezumab in early-stage Parkinson’s planned

Roche said it will launch a Phase 3 trial testing prasinezumab, an anti-alpha-synuclein antibody, as a potential treatment for early-stage Parkinson’s disease. The decision follows data from two Phase 2 trials showing prasinezumab had potential clinical efficacy at slowing motor symptom progression and reducing motor complications as an add-on…

Ambio ibogaine program treats Parkinson’s, other diseases

A new clinical program will use ibogaine, a naturally occurring psychedelic, to treat neurodegenerative conditions including Parkinson’s disease. Ambio Life Sciences, which hosts other ibogaine programming and participates in scientific research about the drug, soft-launched the program in February. It is the first of its kind in the…

Aged neurons don’t respond normally to stress: Study

Aging interferes with the way neurons, or nerve cells, respond to stress, making them more susceptible to damage and more likely to contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, according to a study in cells and brain tissue. “It’s the neuronal equivalent of being so stressed that you catch…

Stress sensor GADD45G may be new therapeutic target

Researchers in Texas have discovered a promising therapeutic target for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Using a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, they found that blocking the stress sensor GADD45G in astrocytes, which are star-shaped cells that support neurons, reduced the buildup of toxic proteins…