The Michael J Fox Foundation reports that new study results from Austrian biotech AFFiRiS support continued development of its vaccine against the key Parkinson’s protein alpha-synuclein. Today the company announced its “boost” follow-up study — funded with a $1.04 million grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation — showed that an additional dose is safe and can elicit antibodies against alpha-synuclein. AFFiRiS will present a poster on the study at the World Parkinson Congress in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday, September 21.
Researchers believe that clumps of this protein (also called fibrils) are toxic and cause the cell death that leads to Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms and progression.