People who develop Parkinson’s disease before the age of 50 may have been born with the defective brain cells responsible for causing the illness, a study suggests. These results also reveal that a medicine, which is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating…

A new small molecule called synucleozid can prevent cells from producing the Parkinson’s-associated protein alpha-synuclein by inhibiting its translation from RNA, a study shows. The study, “Translation of the intrinsically disordered protein α-synuclein is inhibited by a small molecule targeting its structured mRNA,” was published in…

Affiris is preparing for a Phase 2 clinical trial to test Affitope (PD01A), an experimental medicine that, if successful, could lead to a vaccine against  Parkinson’s disease. Affitope triggers the production of antibodies — molecules that recognize specific targets — against alpha-synuclein, a protein found in the…

A Phase 1 clinical trial of MODAG Neuroscience Solutions’ lead candidate anle138b is now underway and recruiting healthy participants at its one site in Nottingham, England, to study the compound’s safety. The small molecule is being developed to treat multiple system atrophy (MSA), but holds the potential to…

Tasigna (nilotinib), an approved leukemia medication being tested as a repurposed treatment for Parkinson’s disease, was found to be safe and increased the levels of dopamine in the brain of patients with Parkinson’s disease, a Phase 2 trial shows. The findings were reported in a study, “Nilotinib…

Antibodies that selectively target the misfolded form of the alpha-synuclein protein — that which underlies the development of Parkinson’s disease — reduced the formation of alpha-synuclein clumps and improved dopamine levels in a mouse model.  The study with that finding also provided a framework for screening…

Measuring the levels of alpha-synuclein in red blood cells can reliably distinguish people with Parkinson’s disease and evident motor symptoms from healthy individuals, and could serve as a diagnostic biomarker, a study reports. These levels in Parkinson’s patients with symptoms of dementia, however, did not measurably differ from healthy…

Inflammation in the gut, a hallmark of autoimmune disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, may contribute to an earlier risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a recent review of genetic, epidemiological and animal model studies. The risk, however, is very small with only 3% to 5%…

Enterin’s ENT-01, a compound that targets and reduces the accumulation of alpha-synuclein in nerve cells found in the gut, may slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease, according to a review study. The review, “Gastrointestinal Immunity and Alpha-Synuclein,” was published in the Journal…