Research into Parkinson’s Disease

At basic research level, new experimental models are being constructed that may overcome the limitations of animal models: fibroblast cultures, de-differentiation to induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSC), differentiation to dopaminergic neurones, all from the fibroblasts of the patients, being able to study the genetic, epigenetic, and metabolomics profiles.

At clinical science level of diagnostic application: molecular biomarkers in peripheral blood (microRNAs), or in cerebrospinal fluid (the measurement of factors like coenzyme Q10, cytokines, or proteins involved in neurodegeneration like alpha-synuclein itself, beta-amyloid, or tau protein, all with different techniques such as ELISA, multiplex platforms, or aggregometry techniques like RTQuIC ["real time quaking induced conversion"]).

At a clinical investigation level of experimental treatments, apart from clinical trials of new dopaminergic drugs or drugs against dyskinesia or directed at non-motor symptoms, the great focus of interest are clinical trials of molecules that are potential modifiers of the course of the disease. Two examples of these being conservative iron chelation with deferiprone and passive immunisation with anti-alpha-synuclein monoclonal antibodies directed, respectively, at reducing oxidative stress and clearance of the excess synuclein that spreads the intraneuronal aggregates.These trials are pending results.