Damage to the genetic material in mitochondria, cells’ energy production centers, may trigger the spread of nerve cell death in Parkinson’s disease, according to recent research. Faulty mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was observed in patient tissues and mouse models. In lab studies, the damaged mtDNA was found to be released…
In recognition of the high level of specialized care it provides to Parkinson’s disease patients, the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has been named a Parkinson’s Foundation Comprehensive Care Center, the only hospital center in Ohio with that designation. “The Parkinson’s Foundation Comprehensive Care Center designation symbolizes…
A year of treatment with levodopa plus benserazide led to greater clinical improvements among Parkinson’s disease patients who were also using add-on Azilect (rasagiline), according to a small Chinese study. The use of Azilect was also associated with greater reductions in homocysteine (Hcy), a biomarker associated with…
Supernus Pharmaceuticals has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) again to approve the apomorphine infusion pump SPN-830 for treating Parkinson’s disease. “We look forward to continuing our effort with the FDA throughout the NDA [new drug application] review process to bring a promising alternative to…
Loneliness raises a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease within 15 years, a long-term study of nearly half a million U.K. residents found, supporting calls into the therapeutic benefits of personally significant social bonds. This work adds to evidence “that loneliness is a substantial psychosocial determinant of health,” the…
Toxic clumps of the protein alpha-synuclein change the way the brain cells most affected by Parkinson’s disease utilize energy, a study shows. Its researchers wanted a clearer understanding of how “key metabolic processes” are affected by the protein’s aggregation, damaging “vulnerable” nerve cells within the brain, they wrote. To…
A neuroscientist at Northwestern University in Chicago was given the 2023 Annemarie Opprecht Parkinson Award, an international honor recognizing significant contributions to Parkinson’s disease research. James Surmeier, PhD, is a professor and chair of university’s neuroscience department, and a scientific advisor to the Michael J. Fox…
Mark Denham, PhD, a scientist in Denmark, has been awarded a patent that covers a new way of using stem cells to create cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease. Securing the patent, which provides two decades of intellectual property protection for the technology, is a first step toward establishing a…
Cognition tests given virtually showed results similar to in-person evaluations for Parkinson’s disease patients with no or mild cognitive impairments, but more work clearly is needed to overcome their technical limitations and improve their reliability, according to a recent study. “In-person cognitive testing with a neuropsychologist remains the gold…
Dosing has begun in a Phase 1 clinical trial that is testing GT-02287, an experimental oral medication being developed to treat Parkinson’s disease caused by mutations in the GBA1 gene. The first two participants in the trial have been dosed, according to the therapy’s developer, Gain Therapeutics. “Initiating first-in-human…
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