Seelos Therapeutics has acquired an exclusive license to further develop a treatment approach called SLS-007 for Parkinson’s disease which is intended to lessen the aggregation of alpha-synuclein protein. The therapeutic strategy was developed by scientists at University of California, Los Angeles, and includes a family of peptide blockers that…

Researchers in Australia are planning to test therapies already being used in other inflammatory conditions, as well as new compounds, for their potential to block brain inflammation and halt Parkinson’s disease progression. Conducted by researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia, the study, “Pharmacological…

A protein called osteonectin may be implicated in Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, according to a computer-based analysis. The study, “In silico method for identification of novel copper and iron metabolism proteins in various neurodegenerative disorders,” was published  in the journal NeuroToxicology. Excessive production of copper and…

The hallmark presence of Lewy bodies in the pathway related to sense of smell and in the gut years before a Parkinson’s diagnosis, as well as the potential cumulative impact of different triggers, may help researchers understand the environmental factors that contribute to the development of the disease, according…

Toxic protein aggregates called Lewy bodies sequestrate a protein that is usually found in the cell nucleus and known to protect against neurodegeneration, and change in this protein’s location contributes to the mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease, researchers report. The study, “Loss of nuclear REST/NRSF in aged-dopaminergic neurons in…

Subtyping Parkinson’s disease at diagnosis may predict disease course and survival, providing both doctors and patients with a more accurate prognosis, a study suggests. The study, “Prognosis and Neuropathologic Correlation of Clinical Subtypes of Parkinson Disease,” was published in JAMA Neurology. Parkinson’s disease is characterized…

Scientists have found that an abnormal version of brain cells called astrocytes contribute to the accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein, the main component of Parkinson’s disease hallmark Lewy bodies. Their study, “Patient-specific iPSC-derived astrocytes contribute to non-cell autonomous neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in Stem Cell…

Cutting out a portion of or removing a gene linked to Parkinson’s disease protects against the formation of toxic protein clumps within brain cells, scientists have found. This discovery has the potential to significantly affect the development of next-generation cell-based therapies, which involve injecting healthy cells into brain regions…

A new roadmap for preclinical and clinical trials investigating compounds to treat and prevent Parkinson’s disease was proposed by a team of international academic and industry researchers, the Alpha-Synuclein Clinical Path Working Group, in conjunction with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Parkinson’s News Today provided you with daily coverage of important findings, treatment developments, and clinical trials related to Parkinson’s during 2018. We look forward to bringing more news to Parkinson’s patients, as well as their family members and caregivers, during 2019.