Deposition of alpha-synuclein (α-synuclein) in the brain is the pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD). There is abundant evidence that α-synuclein is not simply a marker but is essential for PD pathogenesis. Aggregates of α-synuclein, termed “Lewy bodies”, interfere with autolysosomal degradation in brain neurons and contribute to neuronal death. Therefore, α-synuclein has become a major therapeutic target in PD. Multiple clinical trials are ongoing (see below)[1].
| Clinical Trial Phase | Status | Sponsor | Intervention/Agent |
| Phase II | Active | Biogen | BIIB054 |
| Phase II | Active | Hoffmann-La Roche | Prasinezumab |
| Phase II | Active | Georgetown University | Nilotinib |
| Phase I | Completed | Neuropore Therapies, Inc. | NPT200-11 |
| Phase I | Completed | Affiris | AFFITOPE PD01A and PD03A |
| Phase I | Active | University of Colorado, Denver | Phenylbutyrate |
| Phase I | Recruiting | H. Lundbeck A/S | Lu AF82422 |
| Phase I | Recruiting | AstraZeneca | MEDI1341 |
GeneTex is proud to introduce a set of active recombinant proteins, including preformed fibrils of human and mouse α-synuclein proteins and active human tau protein in fibrillar and monomeric forms. The structure of these active proteins was assessed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the biological activities were tested using functional assays on cultured cells.