Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra, leading to clinical symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability.

Researchers at North China Electric Power University and collaborators have developed novel radiolabels for the membrane-bound monoamine oxidase-B that feature a coumarin core.

Being able to detect and monitor the aggregation of α-synuclein in situ could lead to more objective, earlier diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease as well as allow real-time monitoring of whether patients are responding to treatment.

Abnormal aggregation of α-synuclein is thought to contribute to the pathology of Parkinson’s disease, the second most frequent neurodegenerative disorder. Therefore, developing drugs that prevent such aggregation could be effective for slowing or even preventing the disease.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will hold an advisory meeting regarding devices for treatment of symptoms for Parkinson’s disease, but the agency indicated that it expects to see longer-term data for these treatments if manufacturers want Medicare coverage.

Genes associated with lysosomal dysfunction increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a study led by scientists at Northwestern University. The discovery also explains why some people who carry a pathogenic variant of the GBA1 gene develop PD or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and others do not. The key lies in the Commander complex, involved in the transport of proteins to this organelle. This discovery raises the need for combinatorial therapies that act on more than one pathway for this type of neurodegenerative disorder.

Researchers from Aarhus University and Synuca Therapeutics recently presented a novel drug-like small-molecule inhibitor of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA), SYN-4569, with superior pharmacological properties and evaluated its efficacy in vitro and in vivo. SYN-4569 is an orally available compound with good potency, pharmacokinetics and brain-penetrant properties.

At the 2025 International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases and Related Neurological Disorders (ADPD), researchers from Rutgers University investigated the therapeutic potential of CJRB-302, a live biotherapeutic product derived from healthy human gut microbiota, to improve PD motor symptoms and pathology.