Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune demyelinating disorder in need of new treatment options. Inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ (PI3Kδ) pathway has shown efficacy in animals with experimental encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of MS.

Anew Medical Inc. has announced plans to advance its Klotho gene therapy program for neurodegenerative disorders. Initial data suggest that maintaining elevated levels of Klotho in the body significantly contributes to longer, healthier life spans, while individuals with depleted or lower than normal levels of Klotho are more susceptible to neurodegenerative disorders.

On the heels of positive phase II results of its extended-release ketamine (R-107) in treatment-resistant depression, Douglas Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is gearing up to begin phase III trials of its ketamine treatment that is safe enough to take at home without clinical supervision.

South Korean researchers from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology invented SPINDLE — a virtual reality-based robotic rehabilitation system — as a potential breakthrough therapy for tremor patients.

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch have developed a novel tau immunotherapy delivered via intranasal route, able to enter the brain, and recognize and successfully clear tau aggregates in mouse models of tauopathy. Aberrant tau aggregates cause neurodegenerative symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Although these conditions present phenotypic differences, the fact of sharing tau deposits as a major hallmark tags them as tauopathies.

Targeting human glutaminyl-peptide cyclotransferase (QPCT) has emerged as a potential strategy in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). As the main substrates of this enzyme are involved in biological processes associated with neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson’s disease (PD) and others may be other options to explore as well.