Blocking the inflammatory protein ASC with IC 100, ZyVersa Therapeutics’ experimental therapy to reduce inflammation, prevented the activation of the inflammasome in microglia — the brain’s resident immune cells — and the start and perpetuation of an inflammatory response. That’s according to results from a study announced by the…

Nitrase Therapeutics’ NDC-0524, an antibody therapy for Parkinson’s disease, significantly reduced alpha-synuclein aggregation and spreading in mouse models of the disease, according to preclinical data released by the company. The antibody targets nitrated alpha-synuclein, a misfolded form of the protein that forms toxic clumps in dopaminergic neurons, the nerve cells…

A new positron emission tomography (PET) developed by Merck can enter the brains of people with Parkinson’s and highlight the toxic alpha-synuclein fibrils responsible for nerve cell loss, a small first-in-human study shows. Working with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), researchers recruited eight…

A global team of researchers has identified the molecular switch in a protein complex that regulates how cellular waste disposal mechanisms clean up and recycle unwanted materials — like the toxic alpha-synuclein protein clumps, or aggregates, that drive the death of nerve cells in Parkinson’s disease, according to a…

People with chronic kidney disease, a condition characterized by a progressive loss of kidney function, have alpha-synuclein protein deposits in their kidneys, a study in China has found. Alpha-synuclein is a key marker of Parkinson’s disease, suggesting a possible link between kidney function and the neurodegenerative condition. “These findings are…

A 45-year-old man initially deemed to have depression was later diagnosed with parkinsonian syndrome following a skin biopsy that detected alpha-synuclein, a protein that forms toxic clumps in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a case study from researchers in Miami. After receiving a combination of carbidopa…

CND Life Sciences has been awarded a $4.2 million grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) toward a study that will evaluate the use of an alpha-synuclein skin test to aid in diagnosing Parkinson’s disease and tracking its progression. The Syn-Q clinical trial…

Higher levels of proteins called chaperones are linked with lower levels of disease-driving toxic protein clumps in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease, a new study shows. The findings suggest that increasing chaperone proteins may be a viable therapeutic strategy for Parkinson’s. Data from the study also revealed…

A type of RNA structure called G-quadruplex, or G4 — a four-stranded RNA structure that forms when calcium enters cells in response to stress — may offer a scaffold for the alpha-synuclein protein to clump together and become toxic to nerve cells in Parkinson’s disease, research suggests. In a…

A specific population of nerve cells in the brain that helps to regulate REM sleep may be a key target for treating Parkinson’s disease, a study demonstrates. REM (rapid eye movement) is the stage of sleep where the most dreaming occurs, with its other three stages classified as either…