Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered that an enzyme known to be highly active in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients places a molecular tag on the protein α-synuclein, causing it to aggregate and worsen its symptoms. The study, “Activation of tyrosine…

The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) announced it has set aside a $2 million prize for the development of a PET tracer capable of visualizing the protein alpha-synuclein, the main therapeutic target and biomarker candidate in Parkinson’s disease (PD) research. Announced at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging…

Researchers found a genetic variation, known as the GG genotype, that identifies those Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients more likely to have slower disease progression — evidenced through tremors — and lower levels of alpha-synuclein, a protein linked to the disease. The findings have implications in disease diagnosis and treatment strategies, and were recently presented…

That the formation of alpha-synuclein aggregates, formed by misfolded forms of the protein, is somehow linked to Parkinson’s disease development is a fact few would dispute. Whether preventing the formation, or increasing the clearance of these protein masses, possibly by vaccination, as a viable approach to treatment is, however, a…

The 10th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology (CONy), a leading venue for researchers, clinicians, and industry leaders to discuss everything from the latest advances to unresolved issues in the field, will meet this week, March 17-20, at the Sana Lisboa Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal.

Scientists have discovered a mechanism preventing Lewy bodies from forming in laboratory animals, allowing for the development of better animal models of the disease. This will likely speed up research into the disease and aid in the development of drug therapies. The main feature of the brains of Parkinson’s patients is the presence…

An animal model capable of reproducing the formation of α-synuclein fibrils and, consequently, Lewy bodies — the major pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease — has finally been developed. Researchers reporting this achievement, in a study titled “Induction of de novo α-synuclein fibrillization in a novel neuronal model for Parkinson’s disease” and…

A new study links a pesticide used prior to the early 1980s and milk consumed by adults during those years to substancia nigra neuronal death that is a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. The research paper, titled “Midlife milk consumption and substantia nigra neuron density at death,” was published in Neurology, the journal…

Researchers from the University of Kentucky presented the results of their research on a potential novel therapy for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The poster presentation, entitled “Therapeutic Development of siRNA targeting Alpha-Synuclein,” was part of the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) Parkinson’s Disease Therapeutics Conference held in…

University of Dundeen scientists have uncovered the molecular mechanisms and targets under the effect of a specific gene mutation involved in Parkinson’s disease development and which could prove to be strong targets for new therapies and even early disease detection. The paper entitled “Phosphoproteomic screening identifies Rab GTPases as novel downstream targets…