News

The Phase 2 LUMA clinical trial, which is testing the experimental LRRK2 inhibitor BIIB122 in people with Parkinson’s disease, is expanding to open enrollment of patients who have a mutation in the LRRK2 gene, in addition to patients without mutations. Meanwhile, the Phase 3 LIGHTHOUSE study, which had been…

A year of daily treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a naturally occurring bile acid, led to small but significant improvements in motor abilities in adults with early Parkinson’s disease, a small Phase 2 study suggests. UDCA, already approved to treat a bile duct condition, also improved the function of…

Scientists have identified a nine-gene signature model to predict the risk of Parkinson’s disease by integrating data from blood and brain tissue gene expression studies. The blood levels of two genes in particular — PLOD3 and LRRN3 — stood out as potential biomarkers to diagnose the disease in its…

The Rit2 protein clears toxic forms of the alpha-synuclein protein from nerve cells, where it manifests as a hallmark symptom of Parkinson’s disease, a study reveals. Targeting Rit2 could represent an effective strategy to combat nerve cell loss in familial and sporadic forms of the disease, its researchers noted.

Many people with Parkinson’s disease who take antipsychotic medications begin them shortly after being hospitalized, a new study shows. The finding implies that poorly managed psychiatric problems likely contribute to hospitalizations. The data emphasize the importance of appropriately supporting and monitoring people with Parkinson’s so psychiatric issues can be…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed that a 42-year-old man with prodromal, or early stage, multiple system atrophy (MSA) , a form of atypical parkinsonism, be treated with ENT-01, Enterin’s investigational therapy for reducing the accumulation of toxic alpha-synuclein in gut nerve cells. Treatment will…

Enrollment is now open across all 38 clinical sites in the Phase 2b trial testing pirepemat  (previously known as IRL752), IRLAB Therapeutics’ investigational therapy intended to treat impaired balance and prevent falls in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The Phase 2b trial (NCT05258071) is recruiting Parkinson’s…

A highly sensitive blood test accurately identified people with synucleinopathies, disorders caused by the abnormal aggregation of the protein alpha-synuclein, such as Parkinson’s disease. The test, called immunoprecipitation-based real-time quaking-induced conversion (IP/RT-QuIC), detected early-formed alpha-synuclein fibrils — or seeds — that eventually grew into disease-causing aggregates. Microscopic analysis detected…

Alterity Therapeutics’ new Phase 2 clinical trial testing ATH434 in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA), a form of atypical parkinsonism, has enrolled its first patient, the company announced. The open-label, biomarker ATH434-202 study (NCT05864365) is enrolling 15 adults, ages 30-75 years, with advanced MSA and…

Patterns of brain damage in Parkinson’s disease differ based on whether or not individuals have REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), a new study suggests. Study findings indicate that patterns of brain damage are similar among Parkinson’s patients who develop RBD before or after Parkinson’s motor symptoms. Based on…