The Parkinson Alliance
The Parkinson Alliance is using its 2017 distribution to fund:
Phase IIa Safety and Tolerability Trial of Nilotinib in People with Parkinson’s Disease
PROJECT TITLE: Phase IIa Safety and Tolerability Trial of Nilotinib in People with Parkinson’s Disease |
Investigator/Author: Tanya Simuni, MD, Chief of Movement Disorders at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Objective: The Phase IIa trial aims to expand on preliminary safety findings and assess potential side effects to better understand the implications of nilotinib’s long-term use in Parkinson’s. The study also will further explore nilotinib’s potential to treat symptoms or to slow or stop disease progression. Background: Previous research has shown higher levels of the c-Abl protein are activated in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and studies have linked c-Abl to pathways associated with the disease. Impeding the activity of this protein could potentially slow or stop the progression of PD, making it an emerging therapeutic target. While much work remains to understand the role of this protein in Parkinson’s, it showed early promise as a potential therapeutic target. A small open-label Phase I clinical trial evaluated the safety and tolerability of nilotinib, a c-Abl inhibitor, in people with Parkinson’s and preliminary data showed potential benefit. September 2018 Project Update: The study is being conducted at 25 Parkinson Study Group (PSG) sites in the US. The first participant was recruited in November 2017 and as of July 2018 half of the participants have been randomized into one of the treatment or placebo arms. Recruitment is expected to be completed in late fall 2018 after which participants will be followed through spring/summer 2019. More details about the trial can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03205488). September 2019 Project Update: The study is being conducted at 25 Parkinson Study Group (PSG) sites in the US. The first participant was recruited in November 2017 and as of August 2019 all participants have completed their study visits with top lines results to be reviewed by study leadership in late 2019. More details about the trial can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03205488). |