Congress: Movement Disorder Society (MDS) International Congress 2026
Dates: October 4-8, 2026
Location: Seoul, Korea — COEX Convention and Exhibition Center
Theme: Understanding Aging in Movement Disorders
The MDS 2026 congress featured comprehensive coverage of Parkinson's disease research and clinical advances. This page captures key clinical findings presented at the congress, focusing on motor complications, non-motor symptoms, biomarkers, and emerging therapeutics.
Note: This page will be updated with specific abstracts and presentations as they become available from the congress proceedings.
Advances in understanding and managing levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) remain a critical focus:
- Mechanistic Insights: New data on glutamate receptor modulation and dopamine receptor desensitization
- Dopamine Agonist Strategies: Long-acting agonists showing promise in reducing dyskinesia
- Deep Brain Stimulation: Refined targeting protocols for optimal motor outcomes
- Gene Therapy Approaches: AAV-based GAD and AADC gene therapy results
¶ Motor Fluctuations and Wearing-Off
Management strategies for motor fluctuations:
- Continuous Dopaminergic Delivery: Intravenous and subcutaneous levodopa formulations
- Apomorphine Infusion: Long-term efficacy and safety data
- Duodenal Levodopa: Real-world outcomes from international cohorts
¶ Gait and Balance Disorders
Advanced therapies for postural instability and gait difficulty:
- Freezing of Gait: Novel pharmacological and neuromodulation approaches
- Rehabilitation Technologies: Virtual reality and cueing device trials
- Cerebellar Stimulation: Targeting the cerebellum for gait improvement
¶ Cognitive Impairment and Dementia
Addressing cognitive decline in PD:
- DLB Overlap: Distinguishing features and treatment implications
- Cholinergic Therapeutics: Cholinesterase inhibitors in PD dementia
- Neuroimaging Biomarkers: PET and MRI markers for cognitive progression
- Early Intervention Strategies: Trials in prodromal cognitive impairment
Managing depression, psychosis, and impulse control:
- Depression: Esketamine and novel serotonergic approaches
- Psychosis: Pimavanserin long-term data and新一代 antipsychotics
- Impulse Control Disorders: Behavioral and pharmacological interventions
Advances in PD sleep disturbance management:
- REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: Neuroprotective strategies in prodromal PD
- Insomnia: Dual orexin receptor antagonists
- Excessive Daytime Sleepiness: Modafinil and wake-promoting agents
Treatment of autonomic failures in PD:
- Orthostatic Hypotension: Midodrine, droxidopa, and pyridostigmine data
- Gastrointestinal Dysmotility: Prokinetic agents and microbiome modulation
- Urinary Dysfunction: Antimuscarinics and beta-3 agonists
¶ Biomarkers and Diagnostics
Critical advances in alpha-synuclein detection:
- Seed Amplification Assays: CSF and skin biopsy validation
- PET Tracers: Novel ligands for alpha-synuclein imaging
- Blood-Based Biomarkers: NFL and alpha-synuclein PTMs
¶ Genetic and Molecular Markers
PD risk stratification:
- LRRK2 Pharmacodynamics: Target engagement biomarkers
- GBA Variants: Enzyme activity as therapeutic response marker
- Polygenic Risk Scores: Clinical utility studies
Wearable and digital health technologies:
- Movement Analysis: Smartphone-based tapping and gait analysis
- Voice Analysis: Speech features for progression monitoring
- Continuous Monitoring: Home-based sensor systems
- Immunotherapies: Active and passive vaccination programs (ABBV-0805, PRX004)
- Oligomer Stabilizers: Small molecules preventing aggregation
- Autophagy Inducers: Trehalose and rapamycin analogs
- DNL151/DNL274: AbbVie/Genentech LRRK2 inhibitor program
- BIIB122: Biogen's LRRK2 inhibitor
- Target Engagement: PET ligand validation for CNS penetration
- Inosine Supplementation: Urate elevation neuroprotection
- CoQ10 and Mitochondrial Function: Phase 3 results
- Anti-apoptotic Agents: Bcl-2 family modulators
¶ Cell and Gene Therapy
- Stem Cell-derived Dopaminergic Neurons: Clinical-grade cell production
- AAV-GAD: Glutamic acid decarboxylase gene therapy
- AADC Gene Therapy: Long-term motor outcome data
- LRRK2 Gene Editing: CRISPR-based approaches
The GLP-1 receptor agonist class continues to show promise:
- Exenatide: Phase 3 trial design and recruitment
- Liraglutide: Motor and non-motor outcome data
- Semaglutide: Phase 2 results in early PD
Targeting neuroinflammation in PD:
- TREM2 Modulation: Microglial activation modulation
- Complement Inhibition: C1q and C3 targeting strategies
- Minocycline: Long-term neuroprotection data
| Agent |
Mechanism |
Sponsor |
Status |
| ABBV-0805 |
Alpha-synuclein antibody |
AbbVie |
Phase 2/3 |
| BIIB122 |
LRRK2 inhibitor |
Biogen |
Phase 2b |
| Exenatide |
GLP-1 RA |
Various |
Phase 3 |
| AAV-GAD |
Gene therapy |
Various |
Phase 2 |
| Inosine |
Urate elevation |
Various |
Phase 3 |
Expected results from MDS 2026 presentations include:
- Long-term follow-up of gene therapy trials
- Biomarker correlates from disease-modification studies
- Real-world evidence from approved therapies