Research on future treatments for Parkinson’s disease is underway, including deep brain stimulation, gene therapy, and stem cells that could help repair the brain’s function.

While there’s no cure for Parkinson’s disease, developing treatments that are in the works include advanced therapies and research on new interventions.

Here are the latest treatments for this progressive neurological disorder, from advances that might help relieve symptoms to research that may lead to more progress on preventative therapy or a possible cure.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a treatment where surgeons implant electrodes in specific parts of the brain, and electrical impulses are used to help reduce Parkinson’s symptoms.

This isn’t a treatment option for everyone, but those who do receive it may see long-term benefits. It can help reduce several Parkinson’s symptoms and is particularly effective for reducing tremors.

A 2019 study involving about 200 participants who received deep brain stimulation for a decade found that 75% of those participating felt the procedure helped them manage their symptoms.

Researchers haven’t yet found a sure way to cure Parkinson’s, slow its progression, or reverse the brain damage.

Gene therapy has the potential to alter genetic changes that contribute to different aspects of Parkinson’s at different stages.

One of those research areas involves glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a protein that may help protect and strengthen brain cells that produce dopamine.

Researchers are testing the ability of a method that uses a virus programmed to produce GDNF in the brain.

It’s not clear how this GDNF research may move forward and what may materialize, but it holds promise for those with Parkinson’s disease.

Researchers are also developing neuroprotective therapies that could help stop the progression of the disease and prevent symptoms from getting worse.

Many of the ongoing research studies involve animal studies and are not conclusive, but this is a focus area where researchers hope to discover more key developments in the future.

If that develops, this could lead to more treatments and therapies that could help people manage or prevent symptoms from getting worse.

Doctors have few tools for evaluating the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

While useful, staging only monitors the progression of motor symptoms related to Parkinson’s disease. There are other staging and grading scales but none of these use objective biomarkers.

However, another research area may make evaluating Parkinson’s disease easier and more exact. Researchers are hoping to discover a biomarker (protein, gene, or molecule) that could be detected with a blood test or spinal fluid exam, and used as an objective marker of the disease.

This could make the diagnosis more definitive.

Researchers are focusing on a number of areas that could lead to promising developments in Parkinson’s treatment and possible prevention. These could affect how the disease develops, progresses, and how someone with this disease may manage symptoms.

You may want to discuss these ongoing research avenues with your doctor and healthcare team, about possible implications in your own Parkinson’s care. They may have suggestions on treatments and therapies that could be helpful now, in light of ongoing research to expand on those areas.