Parkinson's Cure Journey

Research lanes

The map is drawn in 21 lanes, one for each line of research. Each landmark is drawn in one lane and may be tagged with others.

All lanes, in map order (top to bottom). Select a column heading to sort.
FoundationsDoneBehind the scenes400Lewy bodies and dopamine loss define what any cure must protect or restore.
Synuclein misfolding & spreadActiveClear the bad protein3134Cinpanemab and minzasolmin failed; prasinezumab Phase 3 PARAISO runs to 2029; exidavnemab and UB-312 have safety data only.
Synuclein loweringActiveClear the bad protein1522Too much normal synuclein causes disease; the dedicated lowering drugs (antisense and siRNA) are all Phase 1 with no efficacy data; buntanetap, a translation inhibitor, missed its Phase 3 primary measure.
Gut–brain originOpenLook beyond the brain1420Mouse spread, registry data and body-first/brain-first subtypes are suggestive; faecal-transplant trials gave mixed results.
Mitochondria & energyNarrowedHelp cells clean up2741CoQ10, creatine, MitoQ and nicotinamide riboside (NOPARK, worse than placebo) all failed; UDCA hit its target; the first USP30 mitophagy drug is in patients.
Oxidative stressPrunedHelp cells clean up1362MAO-B inhibitors, urate and iron removal all failed to slow the disease.
Lysosome & GBAActiveHelp cells clean up1831Venglustat, BIA 28-6156 and ambroxol in GBA carriers (AMBITIOUS, no cognitive benefit, preprint) failed; the ambroxol Phase 3 (ASPro-PD, reads out ~2029) and PR001 gene therapy continue.
LRRK2NarrowedTreat the inherited causes1922Raised LRRK2 activity in ordinary Parkinson's justified LUMA, which failed; lung findings proved reversible; BEACON (carriers) and NEU-411 read out in 2027.
Selective vulnerabilityOpenKeep vulnerable cells alive1210Calcium load, giant axons and a named subtype explain why; isradipine failed; Nurr1 activators are preclinical.
Cell survival & anti-apoptosisNarrowedKeep vulnerable cells alive1442Blocking cell-death signals failed (CEP-1347, TCH346, nilotinib); c-Abl inhibitors keep going but vodobatinib (PROSEEK) was no better than placebo and was stopped, risvodetinib missed its 12-week measure, and radotinib (primary follow-up complete Sept 2026) reports in 2027.
Inflammation & immunityOpenLook beyond the brain2334Azathioprine (AZA-PD) failed; NLRP3 drugs are in patients (DAPA-PD due 2027); adalimumab is being tested for prevention in REM sleep disorder (PRISMS, 2029).
Metabolic drug repurposingNarrowedLook beyond the brain1351Exenatide Phase 3 (now under a Lancet expression of concern), NLY01, pioglitazone and simvastatin failed; lixisenatide Phase 2 was positive.
Environment & lifestyleOpenLook beyond the brain1110Toxins and head injury raise risk; nicotine failed; exercise (SPARX3) is being tested.
Genetic architectureEnablerTreat the inherited causes2540Risk genes feed every other branch; most are tagged in the branch they opened.
Cell replacementActiveReplace or repair what's lost2646Strongest branch: conditional approval in Japan; bemdaneprocel Phase 3 (exPDite-2) reads out ~2027; fetal and Spheramine grafts failed; does not stop the disease.
Growth factorsRevivedReplace or repair what's lost1131GDNF infusions, neurturin gene therapy and fosgonimeton failed; AB-1005 (REGENERATE-PD, readout ~2028) and CDNF keep it alive.
Gene therapy & deliveryActiveReplace or repair what's lost1430Dopamine-making gene therapies ended; brain-crossing capsids advance delivery for other branches.
BiomarkersEnablerBehind the scenes1700The seed test shows who has the disease, not how fast it progresses.
Trial methods & regulationEnablerBehind the scenes2022Washout, delayed-start and imaging designs never proved slowing; prodromal criteria and REM sleep disorder cohorts now allow prevention trials (PRISMS, due 2029).
Infrastructure & fundingEnablerBehind the scenes1100Open cohorts and funders underpin most modern work.
ModelsEnablerBehind the scenes800Patient-derived neurons and organoids not tied to one hypothesis.

What the statuses mean