Aligning Science Across Parkinson&#x27;s

12h

🧠 CRN Team Nelson is studying how changes in the pedunculopontine nucleus may contribute to sleep & cognitive symptoms in #Parkinsons. The team will compare findings from people with Parkinson’s and mouse models. 🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/4ywSwsn

🔬 Meet October’s Open Science Champion, Christine Weber-Schmidt of Team Surmeier! Her workflow helps her team manage preprint manuscripts and openly share lab resources. By sharing her approach, she’s also helping fellow project managers put #OpenScience into practice.

"Parkinson’s cannot be understood through genetics, environment, or clinical features in isolation." 🌍 Here, GP2 trainees reflect on the MDS-ES Focused Workshop in Lübeck, Germany, showing the power of multidisciplinary research & collaboration in #Parkinsons research 🔗: https://bit.ly/4seSxia

🔓 Research goes further when others can access and build on it. For Open Access Week, we’re highlighting how ASAP makes findings, and the data, code, & protocols behind them, available earlier and easier to reuse #OAWeek

🧠 CRN Team Mackenzie is studying how circuits in the subthalamic area may contribute to anxiety, depression, apathy, & cognitive changes in #Parkinsons. Their work could help refine treatments for these non-motor symptoms. 🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/3VnFcb4

We’re excited to welcome Raghu Chivukula, MD, PhD, from Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, & Joanne Trinh, PhD, from the Institute of Neurogenetics at the University of Lübeck, as the October LRRK2 Central #webinar speakers. 📅 Oct 29, 2026 ⏰ 1:00 PM ET RSVP: bit.ly/3VWHY7m

New ASAP-supported research examines cellular pathways and genetic modifiers that may shape #Parkinsons disease biology and progression. This thread highlights recent work on guanosine nucleotide metabolism, mitophagy, ciliary signaling, and LRRK2-linked motor progression.

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CRN Team Alessi found that α-synuclein buildup in G51D mice is linked to the loss of primary cilia in specific cell types, highlighting ciliary signaling as a potential common pathway in Parkinson’s disease. 🔗 Read the #publication: bit.ly/3VG9g1H

CRN Team Chen found that the LRRK2 R1441G+M1646T haplotype was associated with slower motor symptom progression in Parkinson’s disease using longitudinal PPMI data. 🔗 Read the #preprint: bit.ly/4ACBESm

CRN Team De Camilli identified a connection between guanosine nucleotide metabolism and bioenergetics that may influence Parkinson’s disease risk and mitochondrial function. 🔗 Read the #preprint: bit.ly/4ABuZYR

CRN Team Hurley resolved how Rubicon inhibits the PI3KC3-C2 complex, clarifying mechanisms involved in endolysosome maturation, mitophagy, and autophagy regulation. 🔗 Read the #preprint: bit.ly/4rFuSaC

New ASAP-supported research examines how neuromelanin, astrocytes, and inflammatory vulnerability may contribute to #Parkinsons disease biology. This thread highlights recent work from CRN Teams Vila and Kirik.

CRN Team Vila investigated how neuromelanin accumulation may drive age- and region-dependent molecular changes linked to neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. 🔗 Read the #preprint: bit.ly/4jsvX3h

CRN Team Kirik examined astrocytic α-synuclein aggregates in dopamine and striatal regions, highlighting early deficits in aggregate clearance and increased astrocytic reactivity in an A53T mouse model. 🔗 Read the #publication: bit.ly/3TyYRUR

🧠 CRN Team Awatramani is studying whether changes in dopamine circuits involved in reward and aversion contribute to Parkinson’s-related pain. Their work may also shed light on depression and other non-motor symptoms. 🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/4z5Iyy4

🧠 #Parkinsons symptoms go beyond movement. 5 CRN teams are studying brain circuits behind sleep, cognition & more, linking biology to symptoms. 🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/4hzUgdh

New ASAP-supported research explores dopamine transmission, motivational state, and progressive motor-circuit dysfunction in #Parkinsons disease. This thread highlights recent preprints from CRN Teams Strick, Edwards, and Wichmann.

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Team Edwards identified spatially and functionally distinct forms of striatal dopamine release that support locomotion, learning, and circuit excitability. bit.ly/4hERYdY

Team Wichmann examined how primary motor cortex neurons develop synaptic and cellular adaptations as parkinsonism progresses in a mouse model. bit.ly/3V3PdKt

Team Strick found that phasic dopamine signals in the dorsal striatum reflect both fast learning signals and slowly evolving internal states related to motivated performance. bit.ly/3VJbbTa

GP2’s workshop in Buenos Aires brought 28 trainees from seven countries together to explore family-based genetic analysis, introduced into GP2’s training program for the first time. Trainers and trainees share highlights and reflections in a new blog. 🔗 Read more: bit.ly/3TPxjLc

We’re pleased to welcome Alberto Ascherio, MD, DrPH; Russ Altman, MD, PhD; and Walter Koroshetz, MD, to ASAP’s Scientific Advisory Board. Their perspectives augment the board's expertise as ASAP’s work continues to evolve and advance collaborative #Parkinsons research.

🧠 CRN Team Tansey is studying how immune system aging may contribute to Parkinson’s risk and differences in how the disease develops. The team will examine immune cell exhaustion, aging, and infections. 🔗 bit.ly/4c6rj6P

The GP2 Regional Investigators Meeting in Seoul brought together researchers across Asia & Oceania to tackle challenges in #Parkinsons genetics 🌍 Highlights: 🌟 Trainee talks & Poster Prize winners 📊 Asian/Oceania GWAS updates 🤝 GP2 URP Working Group strategy Thanks to everyone who attended!

For 20 years, LARGE-PD has united researchers and patients to advance #Parkinson’s research in Latin America. With GP2’s support, it has grown to 15 countries & 10k participants. In a new blog post, Ignacio Mata, PhD, reflects on its impact and community. 🔗: bit.ly/4AEw0PK #HispanicHeritageMonth

A new GP2 #blog recaps GP2’s Regional Investigator Meeting in Nairobi, sharing research updates from teams advancing #Parkinsons genetics research across the continent and perspectives from six African GP2 trainees. 🔗 Read more: bit.ly/4rN43kY

This month’s Discover ASAP features Nolwazi Gcwensa, MSc, PhD, on SynDOVE, an accessible protocol for studying synaptic proteins in 3D using confocal microscopy. 🔬 The approach can reveal changes that 2D analysis may miss, offering new insights into #Parkinsons. 📺 Watch: bit.ly/4z5OvuP

TeamTuesday 🧠 CRN Team Parisiadou is studying how RNA damage and ribosomal dysfunction contribute to dopamine neuron vulnerability in #Parkinson’s. By identifying early disease pathways, the team aims to uncover potential targets for new treatments. 🔗 bit.ly/4wEFiId

🌐 September’s #OpenScience Champion is Ines Rodrigues-Vaz, PhD, of CRN Team Surmeier! She’s shared 30+ TB of histology, behavioral, and in vivo imaging data in discipline-specific repositories, while developing protocols and helping ensure the accuracy of shared resources.

bit.lyParkinson's Genetics Across AncestriesMost of what is known about the genetics of Parkinson's disease comes from people of European ancestry — a gap that limits how well genetic tests and future therapies will work for everyone else. The largest multi-ancestry genetic study of Parkinson's disease to date, published in The Lancet Neurology, analysed genome and exome sequencing data from more than 99,000 people across 11 genetically inferred ancestries. The study identified causal and risk variants whose frequency differs substantially between populations; roughly 29% of participants with Parkinson's disease came from under-represented, non-European ancestries largely absent from earlier research. Ancestral diversity in Parkinson's disease research is needed to improve diagnostic accuracy and help ensure equitable access to emerging genetically informed therapies. Read the full article by Lange LM, Fang Z-H, Makarious MB, et al, on behalf of the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2) in The Lancet Neurology here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(26)00198-5/fulltext?dgcid=youtube_video_vabs_laneur_tln Visit The Lancet at https://www.thelancet.com/?dgcid=youtube_video_vabs_laneur_tln #TheLancet #TheLancetNeurology #ParkinsonsDisease #Genetics #PrecisionMedicine #VideoAbstract * * * Continue this conversation on social! Follow us today at… https://bsky.app/profile/thelancet.com https://Facebook.com/TheLancetMedicalJournal https://Instagram.com/TheLancetGroup https://LinkedIn.com/company/The-Lancet

Check out this new video from The Lancet Neurology highlighting a GP2 study, the largest multi-ancestry genetic study of Parkinson’s disease to date. The study analyzed data from 99,000+ people across 11 ancestries, underscoring the importance of diversity in Parkinson’s research. bit.ly/4y0WTfd

A new GP2 #blog explores how cross-cultural research strengthens global collaboration. Beatriz Muñoz Ospina shares how the Visiting Scientist Program brought her from Colombia to London to study cognition across diverse populations. 🔗 bit.ly/4itK3RH

22 Sept

For this week's #TeamTuesday, we're highlighting CRN Team Krichevsky's work on how RNA shapes brain resilience in aging and #Parkinsons. By examining why some brain cells withstand disease better, the team aims to uncover ways to protect neurons and slow Parkinson’s progression. bit.ly/4xTjiKM

New ASAP-supported research examines how immune stressors, blood-brain barrier disruption, and iron-linked vulnerability may intersect in #Parkinsons disease biology. This thread highlights recent publications from Team Desjardins.

Team Desjardins tested whether mild gastrointestinal infection can affect blood-brain barrier integrity and brain inflammation in Pink1 knockout and wild-type mice. bit.ly/4gSsAQy

The team also examined how the LRRK2(G2019S) variant affects iron homeostasis, NCOA4 trafficking, and ferroptotic cell death under iron overload conditions. bit.ly/4x3vQP2

The team also examined how the LRRK2(G2019S) variant affects iron homeostasis, NCOA4 trafficking, and ferroptotic cell death under iron overload conditions. bit.ly/4x3vQP2

Team Desjardins tested whether mild gastrointestinal infection can affect blood-brain barrier integrity and brain inflammation in Pink1 knockout and wild-type mice. bit.ly/4gSsAQy

18 Sept

As #OpenScienceWeek wraps up, hear from researchers across ASAP on how open data, shared tools, and collaboration advance #Parkinsons research. ASAP’s open science work also informs broader efforts alongside our management organization, @aligningscience.com. 🔗 Read more: bit.ly/4Am002y

17 Sept

What can open science unlock before a paper is even published? 🔬 For #OpenScienceWeek, Daniel Dautan (@2dneuro.bsky.social), PhD, of CRN Team Kaplitt shares how early data sharing sparks cross-team replication dialogue, helping hone protocols & analysis, strengthening reproducibility in real time ⬇️

16 Sept

Why does scale matter in #Parkinsons genetics? 🌍 For #OpenScienceWeek, Christine Klein, MD, of GP2 shares how harmonized datasets and shared tools can connect rare Parkinson’s cases across countries, reveal signals hidden in smaller cohorts, & inform research relevant to trials ⬇️ #ScienceForAll

15 Sept

What changes when researchers can build on one another’s work earlier? 🔓 For #OpenScienceWeek, Hina Ojha, PhD, of CRN Team Muqit shares how early access and cross-lab collaboration can spark new directions and strengthen #Parkinsons research ⬇️ #ScienceForAll 🧪

14 Sept

ASAP celebrates #OpenScienceWeek! ASAP has long put open science into practice to strengthen collaboration, expand access, and accelerate discovery, informing broader efforts alongside our management organization, @aligningscience.com. Watch 3 researchers share what that looks like: bit.ly/4xTbBVc

11 Sept

We’re excited to welcome Andres Leschziner, PhD, from Weill Cornell Medicine, as the September LRRK2 Central #webinar speaker. 👇 Reserve your spot using the link below. 📅 September 24, 2026 ⏰ 1:00 PM ET RSVP: bit.ly/4hn25nv

9 Sept

GP2’s Regional Investigator Meeting in Montevideo celebrated the power of collaboration in #ParkinsonsDisease research. We also marked the 20th anniversary of the LARGE-PD consortium, now 73 sites strong. Thanks to everyone for the insights & energy to accelerate genetic discovery in Latin America!