News

Parkinson’s, specific cancers share genetic risk factors: Study

Researchers have found a genetic association between Parkinson’s disease and melanoma, a type of skin cancer, and prostate cancer. Data also showed that Parkinson’s genetic risk factors are linked to an increased risk of breast cancer and lower risk of ovarian cancer. “Our results suggest the importance of shared genetic…

Selonterra awarded $2.5M for Parkinson’s genetics therapies

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) has awarded a $2.5 million grant to Selonterra to support new therapeutic approaches targeting genetic causes of Parkinson’s disease. “The contribution of genetics to Parkinson’s disease is undisputed,” Anne Urfer-Buchwalder, PhD, co-founder and president of Selonterra, said in…

Fatty molecule may mark treatment efficacy with common mutations

Levels of a fatty molecule called Bis(monacylglycerol) phosphate, or BMP, are significantly elevated in the urine of people with certain LRRK2 and GBA1 mutations linked to Parkinson’s disease, a new study suggests. Measuring urinary BMP levels could be a useful way of gauging the effectiveness of potential treatments that target…

Cholesterol-lowering drug aids mitochondria in Parkinson’s models

Probucol, a cholesterol-lowering medication previously used in Western countries, improved motor function and lengthened the lifespan of treated animals in models of Parkinson’s disease, a study found. Identified as a potential Parkinson’s treatment through an artificial intelligence (AI)-based search, probucol was found to promote mitophagy, the cellular pathway that recycles…

Patients with persistent tremor sought for suvecaltamide trial

Parkinson’s disease patients with inadequately controlled tremors are being sought for a Phase 2 clinical trial of suvecaltamide, an oral treatment candidate from Jazz Pharmaceuticals. The Phase 2 trial (NCT05642442), which enrolled its first participant late last year, seeks about 160 adults, ages 40-80, with Parkinson’s who have…

$400K award will go to explore brain-gut connection in Parkinson’s

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded $400,000 to an Augusta University (AU) neuroscientist to research a possible brain-gut connection in Parkinson’s disease. Danielle Mor, PhD, from the Medical College of Georgia at AU, will use the two-year Early-Investigator Research Award to explore whether Parkinson’s starts in the gut. Specifically,…