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Your Parkinson's News Update for the Week of 9.21.20

Monday September 21, 2020

Parkinson's is Not One, but Two Diseases

Brain via Medical Xpress

"With the help of advanced scanning techniques, we've shown that Parkinson's can be divided into two variants, which start in different places in the body," explains researcher explains Per Borghammer. "For some patients, the disease starts in the intestines and spreads from there to the brain through neural connections. For others, the disease starts in the brain and spreads to the intestines and other organs such as the heart."

In addition to furthering the understanding of Parkinson's, this discovery also suggests that individual or personalized treatments will define the way forward.

Researchers Discover New Molecules for Tracking Parkinson's

Chemical Science via Science Daily

"New research describes an innovative method for identifying molecules that can help track the progression of Parkinson's. This proof-of-concept study could change the paradigm for how researchers screen and test new molecules for studying a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases."

Scientists to Explore New Frontiers in

Parkinson's Research with $7.2M Grant

UCSD via EurekAlert!

In August, UCSD researchers published their studies of the first visualizations of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2, or LRRK2, as seen within its natural environment inside the cell, as well as the first high-resolution blueprint of the protein. The Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) initiative has announced support for the next phase of the research as the scientists focus on understanding the basic mechanisms underlying Parkinson's. The three-year, $7.2 million grant will fund research across three UC San Diego laboratories and two others based in Germany.

"LRRK2 is a complicated molecule with a lot of moving parts, and its dynamic behavior is very likely to play a role in both its normal function and Parkinson's pathology. Understanding how the structure of LRRK2 changes in different states and with different disease mutations will be key to developing treatments. The equipment and expertise in cryo-EM here at UC San Diego put us in a great position to visualize all of this," said Leschziner, a professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Division of Biological Sciences.

Deadline Extension for Those Seeking 2020

WA Health Coverage Ends September 30

OLYMPIA, Wash. – As summer comes to a close, the Washington Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) is reminding individuals who lost their health coverage as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and were given more time to enroll that they have until September 30, 2020 to contact Washington Healthplanfinder’s Customer Support Center or an Exchange certified Navigator, Broker, or Enrollment center to secure coverage.

Anyone requiring help signing up for coverage through Washington Healthplanfinder may contact the Customer Support Center between 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday at 1-855-923-4633; TTY: 855-627-9604.

They may also contact an Exchange certified Navigator, Broker, or Enrollment center who can answer insurance questions and help with enrollment. Free help from local experts is accessible via the WAPlanfinder Mobile App or by visiting: https://www.wahealthplanfinder.org/_content/find-expert-advice.html.

Reminders: Enrollment is offered year-round to individuals and families through Washington Apple Health (Medicaid).

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