Parkinson’s Treatments Go After Genetic Targets

[Farooqji]

Current treatments for Parkinson’s disease target motor symptoms, and do nothing to halt progression or address other aspects of the disease. To get beyond this state of affairs, researchers are targeting the underlying disease pathology. They take guidance from genetic studies that have highlighted the major molecular players, such as α-synuclein, GBA, LRRK2, and tau. At the first Advances in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Therapies focus meeting (AAT-AD/PD), held March 15–18 in Turin, Italy, speakers debated therapies aimed at all of these molecules. Several treatments are in or headed toward the clinic, and most could potentially work for dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) as well. Researchers agreed the therapies—if they work—mark a sea change for synucleinopathy treatment.

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