Author: Simon

I am the Director of Research at Cure Parkinson's. Before that I was working as a Parkinson's research scientist at the University of Cambridge where I conducted both clinical- and lab-based research on Parkinson's. I have worked in the Parkinson's research field for over 15 years - both academically and in biotech ventures. All of my views/opinions expressed here are solely my own, and may not reflect the views of my employer or associated parties.

Monthly Research Review – July 2024

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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 July 2024.

The post is divided into 10 parts based on the type of research:

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So, what happened during July 2024?

In world news:

1st July – The “Supreme Court” of the United States of America ruled in a 6–3 decision that US presidents have absolute immunity for acts committed as president within their core constitutional purview, at least presumptive immunity for official acts within the outer perimeter of their official responsibility, and no immunity for unofficial acts (What could possibly go wrong with this…)

 

4th July – 2024 United Kingdom general election: Sir Keir Starmer lead the Labour Party to a landslide victory, returning the party to government for the first time in 14 years. Incumbent Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak resigned as the leader of the party the next day, with Starmer taking office.

 

5 July – The first mouse model with a complete, functional human immune system is demonstrated (Click here to read more about this).

 

19th July – A global IT outage occurred, affecting 8.5 million Microsoft Windows devices and causing widespread disruptions to businesses and governments. The outage was caused by a faulty update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike

 

21st July – Incumbent United States President Joe Biden ends his candidacy in the 2024 United States presidential election.

 

26th July – The 2024 Summer Olympics started with a bang in Paris, France.

 

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

In July  2024, there were 901 research articles added to the Pubmed website with the tag word “Parkinson’s” attached (6,840 for all of 2024 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 7 pieces of Parkinson’s news

Continue reading “Monthly Research Review – July 2024” →

Monthly Research Review – June 2024

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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 June 2024.

The post is divided into 10 parts based on the type of research:

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So, what happened during June 2024?

In world news:

1st June – The 2024 Indian general election, which began on April 19, concludes with the  BJP party losing its outright majority, but its electoral alliance, the National Democratic Alliance, retains its majority. 642 million voters participated in the election.

 

4th June – Two days after the China National Space Administration’s Chang’e 6 spacecraft lands on the far side of the Moon, it lifts off carrying samples of lunar soil and rocks to bring back to Earth (the samples successfully reached Earth on the 25th June).

 

14th June – The UEFA Euro 2024 start in Germany, and is ultimately won by Spain on the 14th July.

 

20th June – Following a surge in population of the Iberian lynx – from 62 mature individuals in 2001 to 648 in 2022 – the International Union for Conservation of Nature removes the animal from its “endangered” list, classing the animal as “vulnerable” instead.

 

24th June – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leaves the United Kingdom after being freed from prison in a plea deal with the United States. He returns to his native Australia two days later.

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

In June 2024, there were 1098 research articles added to the Pubmed website with the tag word “Parkinson’s” attached (5,939 for all of 2024 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 6 pieces of Parkinson’s news

Continue reading “Monthly Research Review – June 2024” →

Monthly Research Review – May 2024

~ Simon ~ 3 Comments

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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 May 2024.

The post is divided into 10 parts based on the type of research:

# # # #

So, what happened during May 2024?

In world news:

May 9th – A cubic millimeter of the human brain is mapped at nanoscale resolution by a team at Google. This contains roughly 57,000 cells and 150 million synapses, incorporating 1.4 petabytes of data (Click here to read more about this).

 

May 10th – A series of solar storms and intense solar flares impact the Earth, creating aurorae at more southerly and northerly latitudes than usual.

 

May 20th – The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court seeks arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar over alleged war crimes.

 

May 30th – Former United States President Donald Trump is found guilty on 34 counts in his hush money trial, the first time any American president has been found guilty of a crime.

 

May 31st – Biologists report that Tmesipteris oblanceolata, a fern ally plant, was found to contain the largest known genome – over 50 times larger than humans (Click here to read more about this).

 

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

In May 2024, there were 952 research articles added to the Pubmed website with the tag word “Parkinson’s” attached (4,841 for all of 2024 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

Continue reading “Monthly Research Review – May 2024” →

Monthly Research Review – April 2024

~ Simon ~ Leave a comment

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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 April 2024.

The post is divided into 10 parts based on the type of research:

# # # #

So, what happened during April 2024?

In world news:

April 1st – An entirely new class of antibiotics with potent activity against multi-drug resistant bacteria is discovered. These compounds target a protein called LpxH, and are shown to cure bloodstream infections in mice (Click here to read more about this and click here to read a press summary).

 

April 4th – A study in Nature reported that global CO2 emissions increased by only 0.1% in 2023, suggesting that a plateau may have been reached (Click here to read more about this).

 

April 8th – A total solar eclipse was visible across North America.

 

April 23rd – The world’s largest 3D printer, dubbed Factory of the Future 1.0 (FoF 1.0), was presented by the University of Maine. Using thermoplastic polymers, the machine can print objects as large as 96 feet (29 m) long by 32 feet (9.8 m) wide by 18 feet (5.5 m) high, at a rate of 500 pounds (230 kg) per hour.

 

April 24th – Researchers created synthetic diamond at 1 atmosphere of pressure in approximately 150 minutes without needing seeds (Click here to read more about this and click here to read a press summary).

 

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

In April 2024, there were 861 research articles added to the Pubmed website with the tag word “Parkinson’s” attached (3,889 for all of 2024 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 6 pieces of Parkinson’s news

Continue reading “Monthly Research Review – April 2024” →

A change in fate for Ophthalmate

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Levodopa is a key ingredient in the production of dopamine. As such it is used as a treatment for people with Parkinson’s to help replace levels of dopamine in the brain.

For a long time, the production of dopamine was believed to be the only function of levodopa. But recently, researchers have discovered that levodopa is doing other things in cells, when the dopamine production pathway is blocked.

And their investigations are providing new insights into the brain mechanisms of movement and pointing towards alternative routes to symptomatically treat Parkinson’s.

In today’s post, we will review new research introducing ophthalmic acid (or ophthalmate) to the world of Parkinson’s research.

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Source: Sciencesocks

Between December 18th and 28th, 1995, researchers used the Hubble Space Telescope to take 342 images of a tiny “keyhole” region of the universe (just 1/24 millionth of the whole sky).

The project was called the Hubble Deep Field (or HDF) and it provided the most detailed image of a small region in the constellation Ursa Major (“Great Bear”) ever taken.

Ursa Major (HDF is the pin-hole spot that was imaged).Source: Firstpr

The most shocking detail of that collection of images was that there are over 3,000 objects in them, and all of them were galaxies (similar to our Milky way).

3,000 galaxies (not stars, but galaxies!) in just 1/24 millionth of the whole sky!

Three years later, a similar sized region in the south hemisphere was imaged. That project was called the Hubble Deep Field South and it gave the same results (thousands of galaxies in a tiny fragment of the sky), strengthened the belief that the universe is largely uniform.

Source: NASA

The data led to estimates that there could be as many as 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe (Source).

Interesting intro. Is this post going to be about aliens? Aliens with Parkinson’s?

Continue reading “A change in fate for Ophthalmate” →

Monthly Research Review – March 2024

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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 March 2024.

The post is divided into 10 parts based on the type of research:

# # # #

So, what happened during March 2024?

In world news:

March 4th – Astronomers report that the surface of Europa, a moon of the planet Jupiter, may have much less oxygen than previously inferred, suggesting that the moon has a less hospitable environment for the existence of lifeforms than may have been considered earlier.

 

March 6th – The first creation of induced pluripotent stem cells for the Asian elephant is reported by Colossal Biosciences, a key step towards de-extinction of the woolly mammoth.

 

March 7th – As the final Nordic country to join the alliance, Sweden officially joins NATO, becoming its 32nd member after Finland a year earlier.

March 13th – The Artificial Intelligence Act, the world’s first comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, is passed by the European Union.

 

March 14th – SpaceX successfully launched their Starship spacecraft, but lost the rocket upon re-entering the atmosphere.

 

March 25th – The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2728  calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza during Ramadan and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages (14 votes in favour with the United States abstaining).

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

In March 2024, there were 1,002 research articles added to the Pubmed website with the tag word “Parkinson’s” attached (3,028 for all of 2024 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

Continue reading “Monthly Research Review – March 2024” →

New website: The Science of NSD Stage 2A?

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The diagnosis of Parkinson’s has always been a decision based on clinical observations. It involves the presentation of a triad of motor symptoms (slowness of movement, rigidity, and a resting tremor) as well as additional non-motor features.

There have been efforts to develop staging systems, based on these clinical symptoms (such as the Hoehn and Yahr scale and the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale – UPDRS) which have helped with assessing the progression of the disease.

But very recently researchers have been exploring the possibility of staging systems for Parkinson’s based on biological, rather than clinical features. 

In today’s post, we will examine two proposals for staging systems and we will consider what this means for the condition we currently know of as “Parkinson’s”.

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Source: Sage

In the 1940/50s, a French surgeon in Villejuif, France revolutionised the treatment of breast cancer.

Prof. Pierre Denoix developed a simple anatomic staging system which was dependent on the size of the tumor, nodal status, and metastatic findings. This simple, anatomically based approach became known as the TNM (tumor, node, metastases) staging system (Click here to read more about this).

Since that time, staging systems for other cancers have been developed and represent an important component of the diagnostic and treatment process. More sophisticated additional assessments have since been added, which have allowed for more targeted and personalised therapies to be employed. And this has led to significantly improved survival outcomes and better quality of life for cancer patients.

Source: Sciencedirect

Is there a staging system for Parkinson’s?

Continue reading “New website: The Science of NSD Stage 2A?” →

The Science of Sci-comms

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During the pandemic lockdown in 2020, I was asked to speak to a group of medical students at the University of Cambridge about the communication of science. I was a little bemused by the invitation. Big university and little old me maintaining a small website (read: collection of typos and poor gramma). I did not feel like any kind of authority on the topic of science communication.

Feeling ridiculously unprepared for such a task, I naturally accepted the invitation and I decided to do a deep dive into the topic – delving into the history and the various formats. The content of my presentation probably put my young audience to sleep, but I found it interesting.

And at the risk of putting you to sleep, I thought I would post some of the contents here. 

In today’s post, we will discuss Sci-comms.

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Tom Hardy. Source: Theresident

After receiving a honorary fellowship at the University of the Arts London, actor Tom Hardy addressed the graduating class of 2015. In his speech, he said “My father told me that my job is to observe and reflect. And anything that gets in the way of the telescope has to go including the self” (Source).

And evidently Tom has taken his novelist father (Chips Hardy)’s words to heart as he has “II O&R” (“To Observe and Reflect”) tattooed on his right shoulder and claims this is his motto for life:

Source: Bodyartguru

Now, I’m not comparing myself to Tom (we can’t all be as good looking as me), but I really like his philosophy. And I used this to start my presentation on science communication (“Sci-comms”) to a group of undergraduate medical students at the University of Cambridge during the COVID pandemic.

My approach to Sci-comms is to observe and reflect.

Continue reading “The Science of Sci-comms” →

Monthly Research Review – February 2024

~ Simon ~ Leave a comment

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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 February 2024.

The post is divided into 10 parts based on the type of research:

# # # #

So, what happened during February 2024?

In world news:

1st February – A group of patients with hereditary angioedema (a genetic disorder characterised by severe, painful and unpredictable swelling attacks) have had their lives transformed by a single treatment of NTLA-2002 – a breakthrough gene-editing therapy (CRISPR-Cas9 editing of the KLKB1 gene) being developed by Intellia Therapeutics (Click here to read more about this).

 

7th February – A calcium-based battery – able to charge and discharge fully 700 times at room temperature – was presented by Chinese scientists. It is described as a potential alternative to lithium, being 2,500 times more abundant on Earth (Click here to read more about this).

 

8th February – Google renames AI chatbot Bard to Gemini, and makes it available on mobile.

 

23rd February – Three new moons within the Solar System were discovered, one around Uranus and two around Neptune, bringing their total known satellites to 28 and 16, respectively.

 

28th February – A study in the British Medical Journal links ultra-processed foods to 32 negative health impacts, including a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health, and early death (no mention of Parkinson’s – click here to read more about this).

 

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

In February 2024, there were 1,024research articles added to the Pubmed website with the tag word “Parkinson’s” attached (2,026 for all of 2024 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 7 pieces of Parkinson’s news

Continue reading “Monthly Research Review – February 2024” →

Dopamine on demand

~ Simon ~ 5 Comments

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The treatment of Parkinson’s has long been defined by medications that increase the level of a chemical called dopamine in the brain. The cells that produce dopamine are progressively lost in this condition.

To date, dopamine-replacement therapies have largely been based on orally administered pills that result in fluctuating levels of dopamine across the day.

But now regulators have approved a new treatment that provides continuous levels of dopamine. It is called Produodopa.

In today’s post, we will look at what is dopamine, why the treatments supplementing dopamine fluctuate across the day, and how Produodopa may be able to help with this.

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Source: Bwcharity

One neurologist described it to me as the ‘Deep brain stimulation killer’.

I’m not so sure about that.

Others have suggested that it has the potential to be a revolutionary shift for the future treating Parkinson’s.

Again, I wouldn’t go that far, but it could be a very important step forward in better management of motor symptoms in advanced Parkinson’s.

What are we talking about here?

It is called Produodopa, and it is a new system of continuous delivery of levodopa that has been developed by the pharmaceutical company AbbVie.

Produodopa was launched in the European Union in January 2024 (Click here to read more about this), and was approved for clinical use in England by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the October 26th 2023 (Click here to read more). It is still awaiting approval in the USA.

And what exactly is Produodopa?

Continue reading “Dopamine on demand” →