The accumulation of α-synuclein fibrils in the brain is the primary pathogenic hallmark in Parkinson’s disease (PD), the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. Current therapies are mainly focused on late-stage symptoms and hence there is a need to find therapies tackling the disease at early stages. Recent studies validate that gut microbiome of PD patients as different from the one of healthy people.

Merck & Co. Inc. presented the discovery, SAR-driven optimization and characterization of leucine-rich...

A new study has uncovered a potential link between RNA regulation and the development of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia. This work, conducted by researchers at the University of Nottingham, used a combination of microscopy and machine learning techniques to examine the role of N6-methyladenosine modification of RNA (m6A) in the human brain.

Researchers from Zhengzhou University presented the synthesis and preclinical evaluation of hybrids...

Newco Teitur Trophics ApS has raised €28 million (US$30.1 million) in a series A with which it will lay out a new route to targeting sortilin in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The company is targeting the sortilin-related Vps10p domain containing receptor, which plays a role in regulating a number of pathways involved in the control of neuronal viability and function.

Olatec Therapeutics LLC has been awarded a research grant by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to evaluate its lead molecule, dapansutrile (OLT-1177), in preclinical Parkinson’s disease progression models.

Researchers from North Sichuan Medical College have reported the discovery and preclinical...

A shortage of efficacy compared to placebo in a phase II study of treating cognitive impairment has put Aptinyx Inc. on the defensive. The company’s oral, small-molecule NMDA receptor modulator, NYX-458, was being studied in 99 patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease or Lewy body dementia. Based on the results, Aptinyx has decided to stop the therapy’s development, along with closing its phase IIb study of another oral, small molecule, NYX-783, for treating post-traumatic stress disorder.