# # # # At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during December 2022. The post is divided into 10 parts based on the type of research: Top 5 pieces of Parkinson’s news Articles of general interest Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Conferences/lectures Other news Review articles/videos # # # #

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So, what happened during December 2022?

In world news:

December 5th – The US National Ignition Facility achieved fusion ignition, a major milestone in the development of nuclear fusion power

 

December 7th – After substantial protests against China’s Zero-COVID policies, the Chinese government finally eased its COVID19 restrictions.

 

December 15th – Astronomers find that a pair of exoplanets orbiting the red dwarf star Kepler-138 are likely to be water worlds.

 

December 19th – At the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), nearly 200 countries agree a “new” landmark deal to protect a third of the planet for nature by 2030 (more blah-blah as Greta would say)

December 19th – A new world record solar cell efficiency for a silicon-perovskite tandem solar cell was achieved, with scientists in Germany converting 32.5% of sunlight into electrical energy.

 

In the world of Parkinson’s research, a great deal of new research and news was reported:

In December 2022, there were 964 research articles added to the Pubmed website with the tag word “Parkinson’s” attached (10749 for all of 2022 so far). In addition, there was a wave to news reports regarding various other bits of Parkinson’s research activity (clinical trials, etc).

The top 5 pieces of Parkinson’s news

1.  The deferiprone clinical trial results

The results of the large phase 2 FAIRPARK II study evaluating the iron chelator deferiprone in 372 recently diagnosed, non-Levodopa treated cases of Parkinson’s (186 on deferiprone and 186 on placebo over a period of 36 weeks), indicated that symptoms were worse for those treated with deferiprone compared to placebo. Progression of symptoms leading to the initiation of dopaminergic therapy occurred in 22.0% of the participants in the deferiprone group compared with just 2.7% of those in the placebo group (Click here to read more about this)

 

2.  Sigma 1 again

Anavex Life Science‘s sigma 1 agonist Blarcamesine has met both primary & secondary endpoints in their randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled Phase 2B/3 clinical trial in Alzheimer’s. This study involved 509 participants who were randomised (1:1 ratio) to treatment with Blarcamesine or placebo for 48 weeks. The agent was safe & well tolerated, and a treatment difference in mean score change of -1.85 points on ADAS-Cog (p=0.033) was reported (Click here to read more about this)

 

3.  Results from another exenatide clinical trial

Korean biotech firm Peptron announced that they observed no statistical significance between the treatment & placebo groups (for the mean change of MDS-UPDRS part 3 score) in a Phase 2 study investigating their GLP-1R agonist PT320 in 99 people with Parkinson’s. The company did announced that they saw statistically positive secondary outcomes that were encouraging enough for them to continue developing the agent (Click here to read more about this)

 

4.  Incidence of Parkinson’s across North America

New study looks at incidence of Parkinson’s across 5 epidemiological cohorts in North America in a common year (2012); Estimates of age-sex-adjusted incidence of PD ranged from 108 to 212 per 100k among persons ages >65; Persistent spatial US clustering. “Clustering of counties with a higher incidence of PD was observed at the juxtaposition of the Midwestern & Southern regions of the US”; High incidence: S. California, SE Texas, central Pennsylvania, & Florida. Lower incidence: Mountain West region, the W. Midwest, & Northwest (Click here to read more about this and click here to read a press summary of the research).

 

5.  A ferroptotic cascade

A new biorxiv manuscript reports single-nucleus co-expression networks of dopaminergic neurons support iron accumulation as a plausible explanation to their vulnerability in Parkinson’s (Click here to read more about this). Researchers also identified microglia as a major player in a cellular ferroptotic cascade (regulated by SEC24B), “assuming a distinct neurotoxic state that contributes to neurodegeneration”; Interesting that FDA approved food additive octyl gallate scores high in their drug screen for preventing microglia ferroptosis. Microglia “are not merely a byproduct of underlying disease processes but could also be contributing to disease progression & neurodegeneration” (Click here to read more about this).

Articles of general interest

• Pretzel, Pasadena, Prevail, PGC-1α, Prasinezumab, Propel,… This short review piece has it all in terms of new experimental therapies for Parkinson’s. “Gene-based understanding of PD is paving the way to a plethora of new drugs” (Click here to read more about this).
• Cure Parkinson’s research summary (Click here to read more about this).

• Very interesting read in Forbes on the role that Google cofounder Sergey Brin has played in funding Parkinson’s research; ASAP Research & the Michael J Fox Foundation get special mentions; “This year, Brin has donated $225 million toward Parkinson’s” (Click here to read more about this).
• Interesting piece on the LRRK2-focused therapeutics pipeline for Parkinson’s; “If we see any real signals coming from the Biogen/Denali trials, that will probably open a floodgate for a lot of other groups to bring forward their LRRK2 inhibitors” (Click here to read more about this).
• Prof Alfonso Fasano’s excellent summary of deep brain stimulation, focus ultrasound, and other therapeutic interventions for Parkinson’s:

 

Basic biology news

• A SOBA analysis of soluble oligomer binding – new research presents “soluble oligomer binding assay” (SOBA) which discriminated Alzheimer’s from other forms of dementia; Also confirmed a-syn oligomers in CSF from Parkinson’s cases (Click here to read more about this).
• New preclinical research explores the prion-disease hypothesis of Parkinson’s & proposes that endocytosed alpha synuclein impairs the host cell′s mitochondrial function; “Toxicity of extracellular a-syn is independent of intracellular a-syn” (Click here to read more about this).
• Helicobacter hepaticus bacteria (a close relative of H. pylori) elicits Parkinson’s-associated α-Synuclein pathologies & constipation in α-Synuclein overexpressing transgenic mice; PD patient fecal microbiota transplant also elicits PD pathologies (Click here to read more about this).

• Researchers screened 3,471 mutant chromosomes in flies for genetic modifiers of Parkinson’s-associated α-synuclein & identified 12 genes; HIF & MED13 get highlighted; Relationship between α-synuclein, MED13, & glycolytic enzymes conserved between flies & mice. MED13 induction upregulates glycolytic enzymes & is neuroprotective in SNCA-overexpressing mice (Click here to read more about this).
• Forget LAG3, all the cool kids are focusing on BAG3. Researchers report BAG3 promotes autophagy & suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation in (mouse models of) Parkinson’s (Click here to read more about this).
• Researchers report neuronal haemoglobin induces loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of mice, as well as cognitive deficits & cleavage of Parkinson’s-associated α-synuclein; Haemoglobin leads to activation of calpain I (Click here to read more about this).
• Researchers report functional changes in peripheral CD4+ T cells in Parkinson’s, including altered migration potential & impaired mitochondrial positioning within the cell & reduced mitochondrial functionality (N=49PD vs 30 controls – click here to read more about this).
• “Loss of SREBP2 in Parkin over-expressing cells enhanced the extent of rotenone-induced cell death to a comparable level to that of vector control”; Parkinson’s-associated Parkin regulates neuronal lipid homeostasis via SREBP2-lipoprotein lipase pathway (Click here to read more about this).
• New data demonstrates that mutations in the Parkinson’s-associated PINK1 gene might contribute to the CNS inflammation, affecting peripheral & glia-dependent immune responses in an age-related manner; Young Pink1=earlier onset, but reduced severity (Click here to read more about this).

• A new biorxiv manuscript identifies transcription factor E3 (TFE3) as a mediator of LRRK2-dependent control of lysosomal gene expression; LRRK2 negatively regulates TFE3 abundance & nuclear localization (Click here to read more about this).
• Researchers identify a pathway, consisting of substantia nigral GABAergic neurons & glutamatergic neurons in the subthalamic nucleus & lateral parabrachial nucleus, that modulates acute & persistent pain states in both male & female mice (Click here to read more about this).
• A new biorxiv manuscript finds sex-specific responses in mice microglial subpopulations following pro-inflammatory or neurotoxic insults; Males = pro-inflammatory phenotype, while females = neuroprotective capabilities (which is lost with GCase inhibition); “GCase inhibition triggers a specific microglial morpho-functional phenotype associated with a reduced ability of microglia to perform neuroprotective functions,.. might contribute to the understanding of the sex-related differences clinically observed in idiopathic Parkinson’s” (Click here to read more about this).
• A new biorxiv manuscript finds “a limited interaction of VPS35 & α-synuclein in neurodegenerative models of Parkinson’s, & do not provide support for their interaction within a common pathophysiological pathway” (Click here to read more about this).
• New research presents a structural basis for Parkinson’s-associated LRRK2’s binding to microtubules; “Although LRRK1’s structure is similar to that of LRRK2, we find that LRRK1 does not interact with microtubules” (Click here to read more about this).
• New research “demonstrates structural & pathological differences between α-syn fibrils derived from Parkinson’s patients at a spectrum of clinical stages, which suggests potential conformational transition of α-syn fibrils during the progression of PD” (Click here to read more about this).

• New paper presents an antibody scanning method for the detection of α-synuclein oligomers in the serum of Parkinson’s patients (Click here to read more about this).
• Further research showing angiotensin receptor type 1 autoantibodies increase nigral proinflammatory activity & neurodegeneration in preclinical models of Parkinson’s (Click here to read more about this).
• A new biorxiv manuscript finds that class II transactivator (Ciita) – a major regulator of MHCII expression – modulates serum TNF levels in a rodent model of Parkinson’s; The innate & adaptive immune systems in PD (Click here to read more about this).
• New research presents optical pulse labeling studies that reveal exogenous seeding slows Parkinson’s-associated α-synuclein clearance (Click here to read more about this).
• A new biorxiv manuscript finds that substantia nigra-specific increase in ser31 tyrosine hydroxylase phosphorylation offsets dopamine loss & forestalls hypokinesia onset during progressive nigrostriatal neuron loss (in rats); “Plasticity in dopamine signaling in remaining nigrostriatal neurons occurs in the substantia nigra & delays hypokinesia onset & severity”, “Eventual decline of dopamine content only in the substantia nigra was correlated with decreased locomotor activity”; “Increased ser31 TH phosphorylation offset dopamine loss against TH protein loss & gradual neuron loss only in the substantia nigra, arguing that increased dopamine signaling in the substantia nigra is critical for locomotor activity” (Click here to read more about this).
• A new biorxiv manuscript finds that prodromal intestinal inflammation expedites & exacerbates Parkinson’s-like symptoms in LRRK2-G2019S mice in a sex-dependent manner; “DSS-induced intestinal inflammation leads to a sex-dependent accumulation of a-syn in colonic tissue, increases in a-syn+ macrophages of the colonic lamina propria, & elevation of a-syn loads within microglia of the SN, which all precede the sex-dependent onset of PD-related” pathology in LRRK2 mice (Click here to read more about this).

 

Disease mechanism

• “VEGFR inhibitor pazopanib inhibits microglial hyperactivation & protects dopamine neurons from neuroinflammation-induced cell death in vitro & in vivo. Pazopanib alleviates LPS-induced neuroinflam.” (via MEK4-JNK-AP-1 pathway); Potential for Parkinson’s? (Click here to read more about this).
• Progranulin deficiency in GBA1 mutant mice=early onset & exacerbated Gaucher phenotypes, leading to substantial increases in substrate accumulation & inflammation in visceral organs & brain; PGRN derivative “ND7” crosses the BBB & protects (Click here to read more about this).
• “We propose that inflammation is fundamental to proteinopathy spread”; Parkinson’s-associated alpha synuclein aggregate spreading is found to be preceded by sustained microgliosis & inflammatory responses in mice; Oral aspirin reduces the effect (Click here to read more about this)
• New biorxiv manuscript reports that flies lacking the Parkinson’s-associated GBA1 gene “display widespread innate immune up-regulation, including gut inflammation & brain glial activation”; Rapamycin treatment improves this situation (Click here to read more about this).
• Researchers from Merck present their discovery & optimization process for a set of potent, selective, & brain-penetrant 1-Heteroaryl-1H-Indazole LRRK2 kinase inhibitors being developed for the treatment of Parkinson’s (Click here to read more about this).

• Researchers report that myeloperoxidase may promote the impairment of the glymphatic waste removal system in models of Parkinson’s; Inhibition of MPO chlorination/oxidation (via thiocyanate) may provide a potential therapeutic approach (Click here to read more about this).
• More preclinical data on doxycycline in the context of Parkinson’s; Researchers report doxy has the potential to reduce L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) in mice, & suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects of doxy probably account for LID attenuation (Click here to read more about this).
• Chronic hypoxia leads to cognitive impairment by promoting HIF-2α-mediated ceramide catabolism & Parkinson’s-associated alpha-synuclein hyperphosphorylation (Click here to read more about this).
• Subcutaneous delivery of monoclonal IL-17A antibody secukinumab mitigated neuro-inflammation & neuronal loss, & improved motor performance & muscle coordination a Parkinson’s model (rotenone – click here to read more about this).
• A new biorxiv manuscript presents AAV-mediated expression of a novel conformational anti-aggregated α-synuclein antibody that prolongs survival in a genetic (Thy-1-A30P) mouse model of Parkinson’s (Click here to read more about this).
• Deep brain stimulation in a mouse model of Parkinson’s by blood–brain-barrier-crossing piezoelectric nanoparticles generating current & nitric oxide under focused ultrasound (Click here to read more about this).
• Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) reduces SARS-CoV-2 infection in human organoid structures, animals & human organs maintained outside the body (Click here to read more about this).

 

Clinical research

• A revision of the dual-hit hypothesis of Parkinson’s? Postmortem data “support that the pathologic process starts in either the olfactory bulb or the ENS, but rarely in the olfactory bulb & gut simultaneously” (n=124 – click here to read more about this).
• A new report finds somatic SNCA (alpha synuclein) copy number variants in Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) are related to pathology & inclusions (Click here to read more about this).
• “Brain-derived tau is a new blood-based biomarker that outperforms plasma total-tau &, unlike neurofilament light, shows specificity to Alzheimer’s disease-type neurodegeneration” (Click here to read more about this).
• In a case-control study of 6674 Medicare beneficiaries aged >65 years, researchers find individuals with Parkinson’s were more likely to have impairment in activities involving strength & mobility up to 3 years prior to diagnosis (Click here to read more about this and click here to read an editorial piece on this research)
• New research reports the expression of glycosyltransferase genes (B3GALT2 & B4GALT1), the S1P modulator SGPL1 & lysosomal enzyme GBA are significantly up-regulated in the substantia nigra of Parkinson’s cases (Click here to read more about this).
• A new biorxiv manuscript finds “levels of mtDNA damage may serve as a potential pharmacodynamic biomarker of altered kinase activity that could be useful” for clinical development of Parkinson’s-associated LRRK2 inhibitors (Click here to read more about this).

• Largest collection of Parkinson’s-associated PINK1/PRKN mutation carriers studied; In-depth characterization of mitochondrial genome in blood cells; Accumulation of heteroplasmic variants (likely of somatic origin) could influence the clinical manifestations (Click here to read more about this).
• New research reports automated data-driven algorithms for deep brain stimulation can predict the parameters that lead to motor symptom control comparable to standard of care treatment in Parkinson’s (Click here to read more about this and click here to read a press summary on this).
• Take 6 neurodegenerative conditions: ALS, Alzheimer’s, Friedreich’s ataxia, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington’s disease & Parkinson’s + Machine learning analysis of RNA blood samples = Neurodegeneration shares common dysfunctions in cellular processes (Click here to read more about this and click here to read a press summary on this).
• Do Parkinson’s patients in different countries & regions share common microbial & metabolic characteristics? New metagenomic data research finds potential pro-inflammatory bacteria & genes in PD = significantly increased“; Anti-inflammatory bacteria = reduced (Click here to read more about this).

• Age-related association between APOEɛ4 & cognitive progression in de novo Parkinson’s (Click here to read more about this).
• New paper presents a case-controlled study of individuals prescribed with antiepileptic drugs; They find an increased risk of subsequent Parkinson’s (2006-2021; OR: 1.80; 95% CI, 1.35-2.40 – click here to read more about this).
• Researchers detect lower diffusion tensor image along the perivascular space in Parkinson’s cases (vs controls); Also a left/right differentiation in PD patients, & “a possible progression impacting bilateral hemispheres as the disease progresses” (Click here to read more about this).
• There is a curious association between Parkinson’s & melanoma; Now researchers report on the clinicopathologic characteristics of melanoma in individuals with PD; N=70; Head/neck region=39.5% of invasive melanomas in PD group (vs 25.3% in controls – click here to read more about this).
• New study explored candidate cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of synaptic dysfunction in Parkinson’s, PSP, CBD, MSA & controls (n=297); Highlights neuronal pentraxins as potential prognostic CSF biomarkers for both cognitive & motor symptom progression in PD (Click here to read more about this).

• New research finds circadian rhythm disruption “is a risk factor for developing common neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, including all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, major depression disorder, & anxiety disorder”; N=72K!?! (Click here to read more about this).
• “Protective associations of greenness“. Researchers report some natural environments are associated with a decreased risk of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s & related dementias hospitalizations; N=61 million Medicare beneficiaries (Click here to read more about this and click here to read a press summary of this research).
• 218 eye balls were involved in this study. LRRK2-associated Parkinson’s is distinguished from idiopathic PD by absent or less retinal nerve involvement (both clinical & preclinical stages); 20 iPD, 19 LRRK2-PD, 24 LRRK2 non-manifest carriers, & 46 controls (Click here to read more about this).
• “Although the burden of amyloid was higher in the dementia with Lewy bodies group, amyloid accumulation was negatively associated with the memory & language functions in the Parkinson’s group only”; N=91DLB & 114PD, 18F-florbetaben PET imaging (Click here to read more about this).
• The protocol for the Antidepressants Trial in Parkinson’s Disease (“ADepT-PD”) study has been published; A randomised placebo-controlled trial on the effectiveness of escitalopram or nortriptyline on depressive symptoms in PD; N=408; 12 months treatment (Click here to read more about this).

• Researchers provide a comprehensive overview of the genetic regulation of the CSF proteome; CSF levels of GRN, MMP-10, & GPNMB were altered in Alzheimer’s, preclinical AD, & Parkinson’s samples (Click here to read more about this).
• New case study of a 35-year-old male with early onset Parkinson’s caused by a compound heterozygous PRKN-gene deletion of exons 2 & 4; “Aims to highlight the awareness of atypical symptoms in EOPD” (Click here to read more about this).
• Data from the Rotterdam Study (n = 8848), finds that fatty liver disease is not associated with Parkinsonism or Parkinson’s in an elderly European population (neither in men nor women – click here to read more about this).
• “Summing Part III MDS-UPDRS scores with other parts is not clinimetrically sound. The MDS-UPDRS is a validated four-part scale with corresponding individual part scores & needs to be used within the limits originally presented” (when assessing Parkinson’s – click here to read more about this).
• Small study, but researchers assessed α-synuclein real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC) as a biomarker of synucleinopathy in LRRK2-Parkinson’s; Accuracy & sensitivity were 100% for LRRK-PD & iPD, respectively (Click here to read more about this)
• A new paper on the costs & utilization of new-to-market neurologic medications: “Despite the increasing number of FDA-approved neurologic medications, utilization of newly approved medications in the privately insured population remains small” (Click here to read more about this).

• New research presents a genome-wide association study of REM sleep behavior disorder, identifying 5 RBD risk loci near SNCA, GBA, TMEM175, INPP5F, & SCARB2. “It has been shown that the genetic risk for Parkinson’s & Dementia with Lewy bodies do not overlap completely, & we show that the same is true for RBD & the other two synucleinopathies. Here, we demonstrate key genetic risk loci for the three synucleinopathies” (Click here to read more about this).
• The complete lipid profiles of 200K individuals from the Korean National Health Insurance Health Screening Cohort suggest that the serum total & low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels over time are inversely associated with the risk of Parkinson’s (Click here to read more about this).
• New research reports that early orthostatic hypotension, but not its symptom severity, increases the risk of cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson’s & multiple system atrophy (MSA); Can improving brain perfusion modify the risk of dementia? “Early orthostatic hypotension was not associated with increased α-synuclein, amyloid-β, tau, Alzheimer’s or cerebrovascular pathologies. No significant associations were found between severity of orthostatic hypotension symptoms & other clinical or neuropathologic variables” (Click here to read more about this)
• A gut microbiota analysis in 28 individuals with dementia with Lewy bodies & 224 Parkinson’s cases reports that the production of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) was high in DLB; Low Bifidobacterium & SCFA-producing genera were also observed in DLB (Click here to read more about this).
• Large collaborative study used data from 271,720 ELAPSE cohort participants & reports “strong evidence in support of an association between air pollution & Parkinson’s”; “Long-term exposure to PM2.5, NO2 & BC were associated with the risk of dying from Parkinson’s, with PM2.5 found to be the most relevant pollutant for this risk… associations persisted at low levels of pollutant concentration, well below current EU air quality standards” (Click here to read more about this).

• “Our data-driven study provides insights to deconstruct Parkinson’s heterogeneity. This approach could have immediate implications for clinical trials by improving the detection of significant clinical outcomes” (Click here to read more about this).
• Lower urinary tract infections (LUTI) are a leading cause of hospitalizations, morbidity, & mortality in patients with Parkinson’s. Now researchers report (especially in women) levodopa + benserazide prescriptions are associated with a lower LUTI incidence (Click here to read more about this).
• New study finds that “local striatal volume is crucial to motor reserve in early-stage Parkinson’s”, suggesting local striatal volume could be a neural correlate of motor reserve in PD (Click here to read more about this).
• Researchers report gastrointestinal symptoms are a major contributor to health-related quality of life in Parkinson’s; “Current standard PD assessments do not comprehensively cover the full range of gastrointestinal symptoms” (Click here to read more about this).
• New research indicates that the Mediterranean (MEDI) & Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diets are associated with fewer patient-reported symptoms over time in people with Parkinson’s; N=1205 (Click here to read more about this).

New clinical trials

• New clinical trial registered: the safety & tolerability of transplanted stem cell derived dopamine neurons to the brains of individuals with Parkinson’s (or STEM-PD) study will involve 8 participants in Sweden & the UK; Dose-escalating, single arm (Click here to read more about this).

• New clinical trial registered: Jazz Pharmaceuticals have initiated a 17-week, Phase 2, randomized, double-blind study of the efficacy & safety of Suvecaltamide (CaV3 inhibitor) in 160 individuals with moderate to severe residual tremor associated with Parkinson’s (Click here to read more about this).
• New clinical trial registered: EMPOWER PD is a nonrandomized, pilot study of an interdisciplinary, patient-centric model of health care delivery in a “boot camp” style structured clinic for 20 people diagnosed with Parkinson’s (Click here to read more about this).
• New clinical trial registered: Vaxxinity are initiating a Phase 1b clinical trial of UB-312 (an alpha synuclein vaccine) to determine the safety, tolerability, & immunogenicity in 8 individuals with MSA or Parkinson’s; Multi-year study (Click here to read more about this).

Clinical trial news

• CuraSen Therapeutics announces positive top-line safety, tolerability & proof of concept data, with early efficacy benefit, in their Phase 2 clinical trial with CST-103 in patients with Parkinson’s or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). CST-103 is an oral, brain-permeant beta2 adrenoceptor (β2-AR) agonist that is co-administered with CST-107, a brain-sparing β-AR blocker, to minimize known cardiometabolic side effects of β2-AR agonists. A larger & longer Phase 2b study is planned for 2023 in individuals with Parkinson’s & specifically a history of REM-sleep behavior disorder (Click here to read more about this).

• The EARLYSTIM trial demonstrated for Parkinson’s patients with early motor complications that deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) “was superior to best medical treatment alone”, but did it affect speech? New results suggest not (Click here to read more about this).
• New study found people with Parkinson’s who participated in a community-based, pilot, twice-weekly boxing program showed improvements in motor exam and non-motor symptoms (Click here to read more about this).
• Chronic pre-treatment with the Parkinson’s treatment amantadine does not reduce the incidence of COVID19 or its severity; Small study (n=552), but COVID-19 was less common in older (>50) with longer duration & more advanced patients (Click here to read more about this)

Conferences/lectures

• Nothing this month.

Other news

• Bionaut labs has closed $43M in Series B funding to advance their first-in-class micro-robotic technology for debilitating conditions like Parkinson’s, Huntington’s disease, malignant glioma & hydrocephalus (Click here to read more about this).

• The Critical Path Institute announces the European Medicines Agency has issued a letter of support for the Critical Path for Parkinson’s Consortium’s Model-based Clinical Trial Simulation Platform to Optimize Design of Efficacy Evaluation Studies in PD (Click here to read more about this).
• NKGen Biotech has announced a collaboration with the Parkinson’s Foundation to help bring its novel autologous natural killer cell therapy (SNK01) for the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s to the clinic (Click here to read more about this).
• Replay – a genome writing company – launches ‘Kaleibe’, an HSV gene therapy company targeting CNS disorders using their high payload capacity HSV gene therapy delivery vector, synHSV™; Initial programs: Parkinson’s & Friedreich’s ataxia (Click here to read more about this).

Review articles/videos

And there it is, just some of the highlights from December 2022 – another very busy month of Parkinson’s research. Hopefully there will be bits and pieces of interest for everyone in the list. Much of the material used here was collected from the Science of Parkinson’s Twitter feed (and there is a lot more posted there each day).

Any thoughts/feedback would be greatly appreciated (either in the comments below, or contact me directly).

And now: on to 2023!!!

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The author of this post is an employee of Cure Parkinson’s, so he might be a little bit biased in his views on research and clinical trials supported by the trust. That said, the trust has not requested the production of this post, and the author is sharing it simply because it may be of interest to the Parkinson’s community.

The information provided by the SoPD website is for information and educational purposes only. Under no circumstances should it ever be considered medical or actionable advice. It is provided by research scientists, not medical practitioners. Any actions taken – based on what has been read on the website – are the sole responsibility of the reader. Any actions being contemplated by readers should firstly be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional who is aware of your medical history. While some of the information discussed in this post may cause concern, please speak with your medical physician before attempting any change in an existing treatment regime.

In addition, many of the companies mentioned in this post are publicly traded companies. That said, the material presented on this page should under no circumstances be considered financial advice. Any actions taken by the reader based on reading this material is the sole responsibility of the reader. None of the companies have requested that this material be produced, nor has the author had any contact with any of the companies or associated parties. This post has been produced for educational purposes only.

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