The MDS 2026 Congress in Seoul showcases the latest clinical trial results for Parkinson's disease therapies, highlighting both completed trials and ongoing studies targeting disease modification, motor symptoms, and non-motor complications.
Immunotherapy approaches targeting alpha-synuclein aggregation continue to dominate disease modification efforts:
- Cinpanemab (BIIB054) — Anti-alpha-synuclein antibody; Phase 2 showed safety and reduced binding of alpha-synuclein to neurons
- Prasinezumab (RO7046015) — Anti-alpha-synuclein antibody; Phase 2 PASADENA trial demonstrated slowing of motor progression
- ABBV-951 (Fold-ax) — Small molecule alpha-synuclein aggregation inhibitor
Genetic stratification enables targeted approaches:
- DNL151 (BIIB122) — LRRK2 kinase inhibitor; Phase 1 showed target engagement and safety
- DNL151 in G2019S carriers — Personalized medicine approach for most common LRRK2 mutation
- Inosine supplementation — Raising urate as antioxidant; SURE-PD3 trial results
- GDNF and CDNF — Neurotrophic factors; ongoing delivery optimization
- Exenatide — GLP-1 receptor agonist; demonstrated motor benefit in Phase 2
- Safinamide — Added to dopamine agonists for improved "off" time
- Opicapone — COMT inhibitor with once-daily dosing
- Apomorphine infusion — Continuous subcutaneous delivery for advanced PD
- Focused ultrasound (FUS) — Thalamotomy for tremor-dominant PD
- Adaptive deep brain stimulation (DBS) — Responsive stimulation based on neural signals
- Duodopa/Duopa — Intestinal levodopa-carbidopa gel infusion
- Pimavanserin — FDA-approved for PD psychosis
- Novel antidepressants — SSRIs, SNRIs tailored for PD
- Hallucination prevention — Environmental and pharmacologic approaches
MDS 2026 highlights methodological advances:
- Digital endpoints — Smartphone-based assessments
- Biomarker-enriched trials — Using alpha-synuclein assays for patient selection
- Pragmatic trial designs — Real-world evidence generation
- Personalized medicine — Genetic and biomarker stratification
| Trial |
Agent |
Phase |
Target |
Status |
| SPARK |
Cinpanemab |
Phase 3 |
Alpha-synuclein |
Recruiting |
| LIGURIA |
Prasinezumab |
Phase 2 |
Alpha-synuclein |
Active |
| CLEAR |
DNL151 |
Phase 2 |
LRRK2 |
Recruiting |
| PD-Bioassay |
Various |
Observational |
Biomarkers |
Enrolling |