Overview

• Researchers used the ViroFind tool on post-mortem brain and spinal fluid samples and detected HPgV in 50% of Parkinson’s patients but not in control subjects.
• Analysis of more than 1,000 blood samples from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative revealed unique immune system signatures in individuals positive for HPgV.
• Carriers of the Parkinson’s-linked LRRK2 gene mutation exhibited different immune responses to HPgV compared with non-carriers, suggesting a virus-gene interaction in disease onset.
• The research team is expanding autopsied brain-tissue surveys to assess how frequently HPgV crosses the blood–brain barrier in both Parkinson’s and non-Parkinson’s cases.
• Existing hepatitis C antiviral medications are being evaluated for their potential to target HPgV in the nervous system as a novel preventive or therapeutic approach for Parkinson’s.