Thursday, March 14, 2024

Dementia risk may be three times higher among people with essential tremor

Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have found that people with essential tremor may be three times as likely to develop dementia than the general population. For the study, researchers recruited 222 study participants with essential tremor with an average age of 79 at the start of the study.

At the conclusion, researchers found that 19% of study participants had or developed dementia during the study and that these rates were three times higher than those in the general population. People with essential tremor are generally at an increased risk for several other conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and hearing impairments. Click here to learn more.

NodThera’s NT-0796 shows promise in Parkinson’s disease trial

NodThera has announced positive results from its Phase Ib/IIa clinical trial of NT-0796 - an oral, inflammasome inhibitor - in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The study focused on assessing the effects of NT-0796 on inflammatory and disease-specific biomarkers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid. It demonstrated a reduction in key pro-inflammatory biomarkers with levels nearing those of healthy controls.

According to NodThera CEO Alan Watt, “This is the inaugural demonstration of an NLRP3 inhibitor’s potential to not only address Parkinson’s disease but also offer a broader impact on neurodegenerative diseases. NT-0796’s demonstrated efficacy in reducing neuroinflammation in patients heralds a substantial advancement towards halting this devastating disease.” Click here to learn more.

Scientists discover sources of Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, Tourette syndrome and OCD in new study

Researchers may have found a new way to target the sources of certain brain disorders. In a study led by scientists at Mass General Brigham, deep brain stimulation was able to pinpoint dysfunctions in the brain that are responsible for four cognitive disorders: Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette syndrome.

Published in Nature Neuroscience, the study included 261 patients worldwide: 70 had been diagnosed with dystonia, 127 with Parkinson’s, 50 with obsessive compulsive disorder, and 14 with Tourette syndrome. The discovery could potentially help doctors determine new treatments for these disorders. Click here to learn more.

PTC finds a path through FDA jungle for Friedreich ataxia med

PTC Therapeutics has managed to slash through the regulatory jungle to find a path forward for its Friedreich ataxia medication, vatiquinone, after a pair of failures last year left the biotech cutting staff and reprioritizing its pipeline.

PTC executives briefed investors on the results of a meeting with the FDA where they pled their case for using a subscale called upright stability to show efficacy using data already collected in a Phase III trial. While vatiquinone failed to move the needle on the modified Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale (mFARS) - the therapy had little impact on lower and upper limbs - PTC saw a glimmer of efficacy in the data, pointing to the upright stability subscales. Click here to learn more.

Data supports therapeutic potential of fosgonimeton in Parkinson’s diseases

At the AD/PD™ 2024 International Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, Athira Pharma, a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, presented new clinical and preclinical data that highlighted the therapeutic potential of fosgonimeton on Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

“In an aged mouse model of Parkinson’s that included α-synuclein pathology and GBA1 inhibition, fosgonimeton improved motor function, promoted dopaminergic neuron survival, and reduced α-synuclein aggregation,” according to Kevin Church, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Athira. Click here to learn more.