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• The road ahead: 2020 January 5, 2020 Here at the SoPD, we are primarily interested in disease modification for Parkinson’s. While there is a great deal of interesting research exploring the causes of the condition, novel symptomatic therapies, and other aspects of Parkinson’s, my focus is generally on the science seeking to slow, stop or reverse the condition. At the start of each year, it is a…
• Monthly research review: February 2020 February 29, 2020   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 2020. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Other news Review…
• Monthly Research Review – November 2020 November 30, 2020   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 November 2020. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Conferences/lectures Other news…
• 2019: Year in review December 31, 2019   In this end-of-year post, we review the Parkinson’s research that caught our attention at SoPD HQ in 2019. Month-by-month we will briefly discuss some of the major pieces of research/announcements that have defined the year and advanced our understanding of Parkinson’s. The list is based on nothing more than the author’s personal opinion – apologies to any researchers who…
• Monthy research review – December 2019 December 30, 2019   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 2019. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Other news Review…
• Not dead, dormant dopamine neurons?!? January 18, 2020   Every textbook written about the condition will tell you that the classical pathological characteristic of Parkinson’s is the loss of dopamine neurons in the midbrain region of the brain. It is the distinguishing feature that pathologists look for in order to provide a postmortem diagnosis of the condition. But what is meant by the words ‘loss of dopamine neurons’?…
• Monthly Research Review – November 2019 November 30, 2019   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 November 2019. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Other news Review…
• Monthly Research Review: Jaunary 2020 January 31, 2020   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 January 2020. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology, Disease mechanism, Clinical research, New clinical trials, Clinical trial news, Other news, and…
• Monthly Research Review – December 2020 December 31, 2020   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 2020. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Conferences/lectures Other news…
• Bayer doubles down on Parkinson’s? December 10, 2020 # # # # News today of two biotech companies merging did not cause much of a ripple in the media, but the wider implications of the move are rather significant for Parkinson’s. Today it was announced that Brain Neurotherapy Bio (BNB) is going to merge with Asklepios Biopharmaceutical (aka AskBio). BNB are currently clinically testing a GDNF gene therapy…
• Neuroimmunology Experts Survey January 9, 2021 “What attracted me to immunology was that the whole thing seemed to revolve around a very simple experiment: take two different antibody molecules and compare their primary sequences. The secret of antibody diversity would emerge from that. Fortunately at the time I was sufficiently ignorant of the subject not to realize how naive I was being.”— César Milstein From Nobel Lecture…
• Monthly research review – October 2019 October 31, 2019   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 October 2019. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Other news Review…
• Monthly Research Review – September 2019 September 30, 2019   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 September 2019. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Other news Review…
• 2020: Year in Review January 1, 2021 # # # # In this end-of-year post, we review the Parkinson’s research that caught our attention at SoPD HQ in 2020. Month-by-month we will briefly discuss some of the major pieces of research/ announcements that have defined the year and advanced our understanding of Parkinson’s. The list is based on nothing more than the author’s personal opinion – apologies…
• T-cells: First responders November 4, 2020 # # # # The cause of the cell loss and pathology associated with Parkinson’s is still unknown. While the later stages of the condition have been well investigated based on various pathological marker (ie Braak staging), the early manifestations of the condition are still a mystery. Cells of the immune system are early responders to any signs of trouble…
• Natural (born) killers January 28, 2020   Today’s post starts with more of a biology lesson than usual, but it is important to understand where in the grand scheme of things a certain type of blood cell sits. That type of blood cell has a really cool name: Natural killer cells. Recently researchers at the University of Georgia (USA) published a report suggesting that natural killer…
• Milestones in Parkinson’s Disease Research and Discovery April 11, 2017 “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust “The process of scientific discovery is, in effect, a continual flight from wonder.” Albert Einstein Preface:  Happy birthday to James Parkinson (neurologist, geologist, scientist, activist),  born April 11, 1755 and died December 21, 1824.  World Parkinson’s Day April 11, 2017. Introduction to…
• Prevail lands on a Lilly pad December 15, 2020 # # # # 2020 has been a dreadful year for most of the world – burdened by the outbreak and consequences of COVID-19. Despite this, there has been a steady stream of biotech acquisitions related to Parkinson’s which have helped to keep morale high in the PD research community. In October alone, we saw the Portuguese pharmaceutical company Bial…
• The Neuraly trial November 5, 2019       This week a new clinical trial was registered which caught our attention here at the SoPD HQ. It is being sponsored by a small biotech called Neuraly and involves a drug called NLY01. NLY01 is a GLP-1R agonist – that is a molecule that binds to the Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor and activates it. Other GLP-1R agonists include…
• Viva Las Vagus August 20, 2019   Increasing preclinical evidence is being presented that suggests the gastrointestinal system can play a role in models of Parkinson’s. In addition, there is mounting epidemiological data indicating that the gut can have some kind of influence in people with the condition. Recently, a new paper was published which explores the involvement of the vagus nerve. This is the bundle…
• The inflammasome field is heating up December 6, 2019   When a cell is sick or damaged it will send out signals alerting the immune system that something is wrong. If enough of these molecules are released, they will initate an “immune response” and this process is called inflammation. There is evidence in neurodegenerative conditions (like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s) that the inflammation process is involved, and inhibitors of particular…
• When Bluerock became Bayer August 18, 2019   Cell replacement therapy is a key component of any “cure” for Parkinson’s – replacing the cells that have been lost over the course of the condition. Cell transplantation of dopamine neurons has a long track record of both preclinical and clinical development and represents the most developed of the cell replacement approaches. Two weeks ago, the biotech firm BlueRock…