Research
RESEARCH
BRIEFS
Spring/Summer 2017
Symptomatic Treatments Edge
Closer to Pharmacy Shelves
Today’s Parkinson’s disease (PD) drug development pipeline is rich with
symptomatic therapies designed to address patients’ unmet needs. For the
sudden and unexpected return of symptoms, inhaled levodopa and under-
the-tongue apomorphine will seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
approval this year. Extended-release amantadine is currently under FDA
review for the management of levodopa-induced dyskinesia (involuntary
movements). If approved, this would be the first drug specifically indicated to
treat dyskinesia. Stay tuned at michaeljfox.org/therapiesindevelopment.
Exploring Non-invasive Tests to
Measure Parkinson’s Creating a “Molecular Fingerprint”
of PD
Without a tool to definitively diagnose
and track progression of PD, disease-
modifying therapies that reach late-stage
clinical trials face a potential roadblock:
determining whether they slow or stop
disease course. MJFF is supporting research
into non-invasive tools (e.g., eye movement
tests, breath analysis and smartwatches)
to measure changes possibly associated
with PD. These tests could provide earlier
and more precise diagnoses, evaluate
therapeutic impact, and even predict
Parkinson’s before symptoms appear.
Read about an MJFF-funded study
investigating an eye-tracking device at
michaeljfox.org/noninvasivetest. For decades, scientists have been refining
techniques to profile Parkinson’s at the cellular
level, defining a “molecular fingerprint” of the
disease. The MJFF-led Parkinson’s Progression
Markers Initiative — following more than 1,000
participants at 33 clinical sites for several years —
is now using state-of-the-art technology for
deeper genetic and molecular profiling.
Understanding changes associated with
Parkinson’s in DNA, RNA and the proteins that
carry out vital functions of life not only may offer
a way to diagnose and measure disease but also
may point to targets for treatments to slow or
stop the pathological process. Learn more at
michaeljfox.org/PPMI.
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The Fox Focus