We are excited to announce that the first participant on the Cure Parkinson’s and Van Andel Institute co-funded trial of dapansutrile, an anti-inflammatory drug, has now received either the treatment or placebo, marking the beginning of the trial.
What is DAPA-PD?
Dapansutrile for Parkinson’s (DAPA-PD) is a clinical trial being led by Dr Caroline Williams-Gray at the University of Cambridge. Dapansutrile is a novel anti-inflammatory drug being developed by Olatec Therapeutics. There is growing evidence to suggest that long-term inflammation in the brain contributes to the loss of nerve cells (neurons) in Parkinson’s. Additionally, people with high levels of inflammation appear to progress faster than those without. Therefore, if dapansutrile can lower brain inflammation, it may be able to protect neurons and slow Parkinson’s progression.
Why target the immune system?
When we think about Parkinson’s, we probably would not consider it to be an inflammatory condition. However, recent research has indicated that long-term, over-activity of the immune system may contribute to Parkinson’s progression.
Our immune system plays a vital role in maintaining our wellbeing by identifying and eliminating harmful substances, such as viruses. Inflammation is an important part of an immune response – it is often one of the first steps and aims to protect and heal damaged cells and tissues. This process is usually harmless and subsides over time; however, long-term or chronic inflammation can cause issues as immune cells begin to target nearby healthy cells. In Parkinson’s, chronic brain inflammation may be contributing to the damage and loss of neurons over time.
DAPA-PD will involve 36 people with Parkinson’s, the first of whom has now started the treatment period. For the first 6 months, participants will be randomly assigned to take either dapansutrile or a placebo (dummy drug). This will be followed by a 6-month open-label period, meaning that everyone on the trial will have the chance to take dapansutrile. The goal is to evaluate both the safety and tolerability of dapansutrile and assess whether it lowers brain inflammation. We are hopeful that the results of this trial will help determine whether dapansutrile should progress into further clinical trials for Parkinson’s.
Why is this trial important?
Although there is now quite a bit of evidence to support the role of inflammation in Parkinson’s, this is still a relatively new area of research. Therefore, this trial marks an important step forward and will help researchers better understand the relationship between inflammation and Parkinson’s, as well as how we may begin to treat this.
One of the previous trials, called AZA-PD, was also led by Dr Williams-Gray and provided the foundation for DAPA-PD. This Cure Parkinson’s funded trial tested the immunosuppressant medication azathioprine, and the results were published earlier this year.
Funding for the DAPA-PD trial has been provided by Cure Parkinson’s and Van Andel Institute, as a part of their International Linked Clinical Trials programme (iLCT).
