
Deerfield backs a Penn spinout aiming to shake up Parkinson's treatments using stem cells, brain surgery
Unlike in other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, the pathology of Parkinson’s is relatively well-understood. Researchers have known for decades that the disease affects the brain’s production of dopamine, whereas Alzheimer’s has flummoxed those investigating amyloid and other once-promising theories.
But the broader depth of knowledge has still yet to translate into newer, more effective therapies. After the FDA approved Sinemet in the 1970s, a combination of two drugs designed to convert into dopamine in the brain (and maintain that conversion), the product remains patients’ primary therapy.
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