Highlights from the International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders 2024

Read about research updates presented at MDS 2024

Every year, the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) holds its International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders (also known as the MDS Congress), which is the preeminent gathering of medical professionals from around the world who are dedicated to researching and treating Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other movement disorders.

The 2024 MDS Congress took place in Philadelphia, PA, from September 27 through October 1, and APDA was once again in attendance to learn about the latest research and share our resources with the wider PD community.  

To help you stay abreast of the latest PD research news, here we highlight some important abstracts related to clinical trials in PD that were presented at the Congress. We also summarize the key takeaways and refer you to related APDA resources that you might find helpful.

Updates on Clinical Trials for Parkinson’s from the MDS Congress

Trial relating to Parkinson’s and cognition

A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial of TAK-071, an Acetylcholine M1 Receptor Positive Allosteric Modulator, in Parkinson Disease with Cognitive Impairment (Shanbhag, N et al.)

TAK-071 is a molecule that increases the activity of the muscarinic receptor, a type of receptor that interacts with the brain chemical acetylcholine, which along with dopamine, plays a vital role in the motor systems that are affected in PD. Acetylcholine also plays key roles in both cognition and control of balance and gait. TAK-071 was studied in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial for people with PD who have cognitive impairment to determine if it leads to an improvement in walking and cognition. Results of the study were that TAK-071 was generally safe and well-tolerated, did not improve gait parameters, but improved cognition compared with placebo.

Key Takeaway: A phase 2 clinical trial of TAK-071 showed promise as an agent to improve cognition in PD.

Related APDA Resources:  
Fact Sheet: Cognitive changes in PD
Fact Sheet: Mild cognitive impairment
Webinar: Mild cognitive impairment
Webinar: Cognition and PD

Trial testing a new carbidopa/levodopa formulation

A Post Hoc Efficacy Analysis of Phase 3 Trials of Continuous Subcutaneous Foslevodopa/Foscarbidopa in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease (Soileau, M et al.)

A new subcutaneous formulation of soluble carbidopa/levodopa has just been approved by the FDA! In this abstract, the treatment impact of this new treatment was analyzed, combining the data from two clinical trials, for a total of 385 people with PD. The abstract concluded that subcutaneous carbidopa/levodopa demonstrated improved motor function, daily activities, sleep, and quality of life as compared to oral carbidopa/levodopa.

Key Takeaway: Subcutaneous carbidopa/levodopa is a new option for people who have ON and OFF time and may improve motor function, daily activities, sleep and quality of life as compared to oral carbidopa/levodopa.

Related APDA Resources:  
Booklet: Communicating about OFF episodes
Blog: Variations of carbidopa/levodopa

Trial testing adaptive deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s

Adaptive vs Conventional Chronic Deep Brain Stimulation: Results from a Randomized Pilot Trial in Parkinson’s Disease (Isaias, I et al.)

Adaptive DBS refers to DBS that not only delivers electricity to the brain, but can also sense the brain’s electric signals and adjust the parameters of the electricity delivery to optimize the effects of the DBS. In this abstract, 15 patients with PD were implanted with electrodes capable of adaptive DBS and underwent two study phases:

• A two-day experimental session in the hospital in which the patient received adaptive or conventional DBS for one day each (in random order); and
• A one-month, long-term follow-up phase, with the patient receiving two weeks at home in each mode (in random order).

Patients were aware that two different DBS settings were tried, but they were unaware which was which. Motor scores were assessed in the two modes. At the end of the study, although motor scores were similar, 90% of patients selected adaptive DBS as their preferred mode.

Key Takeaway: Adaptive DBS, in which the implanted DBS electrode can sense the brain’s electrical activity and modulate its electricity delivery accordingly, is preferred by patients who experience adaptive and conventional DBS and, in the future, may become the standard of care.

Related APDA Resources:  
Webpage: Deep brain stimulation
Fact Sheet: Basic of DBS for PD
News: Adaptive DBS

Trial testing an antibody to slow progression of Parkinson’s

Effect of Prasinezumab on Parkinson’s Disease Motor Progression in a Long-term Open-label Extension of the PASADENA Trial (Pagano, G et al.)

People with PD have protein deposits in their brain (Lewy bodies), which are composed of accumulated alpha-synuclein. Preventing alpha-synuclein aggregation and dissolving pre-formed aggregates may be an effective strategy for treating PD. Antibodies against alpha-synuclein have been developed as a treatment strategy to bind the clumped alpha-synuclein and aid in its removal.

Prasinezumab is one such antibody and was tested in a phase 2 clinical trial called PASADENA, with 316 participants, all with newly diagnosed PD who had mild symptoms and were not on any PD medication.

• The trial did not meet its primary endpoints, but did meet some of its secondary endpoints, including demonstrating a statistically significant difference on the Movement Disorder Society-United Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part III, or the subsection of the scale that measures the clinician’s rating score of the neurologic exam. The group that received the antibodies fared better than those who did not.

• The participants in the PASADENA study were subsequently studied for another year and the results of this extension study were presented in this abstract. Those who received the antibody demonstrated a slower decline in their MDS-UPDRS Part III over the course of the year as compared to an external control group.

Key Takeaway: An antibody against alpha-synuclein may slow motor progression in PD.

Related APDA Resources:  
Blog: New PD treatments in clinical trial
Blog: Vaccines and PD

Trial for cell-based therapy for Parkinson’s disease

NouvNeu001, A Phase 1 Stage Chemically Induced Human Dopaminergic Progenitor Cell Therapy for the Treatment of Mid- to Late-stage Parkinson’s Disease (Cai, M et al.)

PD is characterized by a loss of neurons in the brain that communicate using the chemical dopamine. The mainstay of treatment is to restore this communication, using medications that increase the levels of dopamine in the brain. However, another potential solution is the implantation of new dopaminergic nerve cells into the brain to replace the cells that have been lost.

There are currently no FDA-approved cell-based therapies for PD, but researchers have been trying to develop such a treatment for PD for decades. NouvNeu001 is a dopaminergic-precursor cell type that is derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs), stem cells created from adult skin or blood cells that have been reprogrammed to revert to an embryonic state. In this abstract, NouvNeu001 cells were dosed into a person with PD for the first time, demonstrating good safety and tolerability and improvement in motor scores.

Key Takeaway: NouvNeu001 cells are a cell-based therapy at the early stages of research development for PD.

Related APDA Resource:
Blog: Stem cell therapies for PD

Tips & Takeaways

• The International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders (also known as the MDS Congress) is a yearly meeting that allows clinicians and researchers to learn and exchange ideas about PD and other movement disorders.
• Each of the studies mentioned above is helping to uncover important aspects of PD.
• You can learn more about the research that APDA is funding and donate to be part of the effort to find new PD treatments, and eventually a cure.