Pfizer launches new biopharmaceutical company to develop Parkinson’s drugs

News

Author: Simge Eva DoganPublished: 7 November 2018

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer has teamed with investment firm Bain Capital to launch Cerevel Therapeutics – a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing drugs for Parkinson’s and other central nervous system conditions.

The new company – which will receive US $350 million of investment from Bain Capital – will begin working on phase three clinical trials on a Parkinson’s drug designed to increase levels of dopamine in the brain. Cerevel will also continue to develop several of Pfizer’s drug programmes which closed earlier this year.

Marco Baptista, director of research programmes at The Michael J Fox Foundation – which has partnered with Pfizer since 2010 – said: “This is welcome news for Parkinson’s patients and researchers. Pfizer had developed a diverse group of novel therapeutics for Parkinson’s disease, which are now going to get another chance at success. MJFF looks forward to partnering with Cerevel to support the advancement of these promising programs.”

To read more on this topic click here.

For more information on Parkinson’s treatments please visit the EPDA website

New smart glasses could track Parkinson’s symptoms

Last Month

Next Month

Go Back

Share this story

Comments

Interviews

“I’m just fighting my corner”

The latest in our monthly series profiling WPC2019 bloggers

“Friendships are more powerful than any border”

Israel-based blogger Debbie Shapiro shares her diary from WPC 2019

Prepare the perfect festive dinner with Parki’s chef Yves Meersman

Expert 'mise en place' tips for a stress-free Christmas dinner

Students develop wearable device to track Parkinson’s tremors

A wearable device has been developed to monitor Parkinson’s tremors and their severity through the tracking of body movements. The device – Tremor Tracker – was created by two students, Julie Gaudin and Elizabeth Hummel, at Louisiana Tech University, US, as part of a design class project. The students designed an algorithm using data recorded from volunteer participants at Rock Steady, a boxing programme for people with Parkinson’s. They then applied the algorithm to a GENEActiv, a wrist-worn device that has been scientifically validated for clinical research. Hummel, co-creator of the Tremor Tracker, said: “Through supervised machine learning, the device predicts whether a patient’s tremors are parkinsonian or non-parkinsonian, as well as the severity of these tremors. A quantitative analysis of parkinsonian tremors provides a more detailed disease state.”

Can awakening dormant neurons reverse Parkinson’s motor symptoms?

Reawakening dormant neurons could help reverse Parkinson’s motor symptoms, researchers in South Korea have found. While Parkinson’s is typically believed to be caused by neuronal death, a new study – published in ‘Current Biology’ journal – suggests that dormant neurons could be another cause. After completing an animal test – which treated the subjects with two compounds that block dopamine-producing neurons from becoming dormant – the researchers found these neurons to be “awakened”, allowing them to resume dopamine production. The researchers hope that this will lead to a disease-modifying treatment, especially for people in the early stages of Parkinson’s. Hoon Ryu, a senior author of the study and researcher at KIST Brain Science Institute, South Korea, said: “This research refutes the common belief that there is no disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s due to its basis on neuronal cell death.”

Parkinson’s could be present from birth, study finds

Parkinson’s may be present from birth in younger people with the condition, new research has found. The study – conducted by Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, US, and published in ‘Nature Medicine’ journal – used induced stem cells from people with young-onset Parkinson’s, to grow dopamine-producing neurons and observe them for early warning signs of the condition. An abnormal pile-up of protein was found during the neurons’ development, including alpha-synuclein; which occurs in Parkinson’s. The scientists conjecture that Parkinson’s symptoms appear when the pile-up continues over 20 or 30 years. The team also found that the drug PEP005 – currently used against skin precancers – could help treat the condition. Michele Tagliati, vice chair and professor at Cedars-Sinai’s Department of Neurology and the study’s co-author, said: “This exciting new research provides hope that one day we may be able to detect and take early action to prevent this disease in at-risk individuals.”…

All fields required

First name*
Last name*
Email address*
Enter Email Confirm Email
Country of residence*
About me*
- I have Parkinson's disease
- I am a partner / carer / family / friend of someone who has Parkinson's
- I am a healthcare professional with an interest in Parkinson's
- I work for a Parkinson's disease organisation
- Other
CAPTCHA
*
- By proceeding you agree to our
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Pfizer launches new biopharmaceutical company to develop Parkinson’s drugs

News

Author: Simge Eva DoganPublished: 7 November 2018

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

Interviews

“I’m just fighting my corner”

Global update

“Friendships are more powerful than any border”

Recipes & Nutrition

Prepare the perfect festive dinner with Parki’s chef Yves Meersman

Students develop wearable device to track Parkinson’s tremors

Can awakening dormant neurons reverse Parkinson’s motor symptoms?

Parkinson’s could be present from birth, study finds

{title}

Subscribe

Pfizer launches new biopharmaceutical company to develop Parkinson’s drugs

News

Author: Simge Eva DoganPublished: 7 November 2018

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

Related articles

Interviews

“I’m just fighting my corner”

Global update

“Friendships are more powerful than any border”

Recipes & Nutrition

Prepare the perfect festive dinner with Parki’s chef Yves Meersman

Students develop wearable device to track Parkinson’s tremors

Can awakening dormant neurons reverse Parkinson’s motor symptoms?

Parkinson’s could be present from birth, study finds

{title}

Subscribe

Sign in