September 28, 2015 | Categories for this post are: Volume 7
Prothena, an Irish biotechnology company has recently announced that its vaccine against Parkinson’s has been found to be safe and tolerable. This vaccine was studied in 40 healthy volunteers and was not only found to be safe but also was noted to be associated with lower alpha-synuclein levels, a protein which abnormally accumulates in certain brain cells of individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s vaccines may help to produce an antibody against the protein alpha-synuclein. The anitibodies produced as a result may help to remove or stop the accumulation of alpha-synuclein, protecting these neurons in brain from death.
Last year in July, a similar report was released by an Austrian biotech company, AFFiRiS that its vaccine against alpha-synuclein was also safe and tolerable in a Phase I trial, which was funded by a generous grant by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. This vaccine is being tested in a Phase II study.
