Aligning Science Across Parkinson's
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asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
Aligning Science Across Parkinson's
@asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
1.3K followers 140 following 570 posts
Global initiative rooted in Collaboration and Open Science to accelerate Parkinson's disease research. Programs include GP2 and CRN.

https://parkinsonsroadmap.org/#
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asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
New #publication from CRN Team Lee shows neurons poorly clear α-synuclein aggregates, leading to buildup of truncated, insoluble species linked to lysosomal dysfunction, while microglia and astrocytes clear them rapidly 🧪

Read more: bit.ly/4rAFAhm
Exogenous SNCA PFF injected into brain is rapidly cleared by glial cells but accumulate in neurons.
February 13, 2026 at 4:39 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
What does it take to build a global #Parkinsons genetics dataset?

On Mendelspod, GP2’s Andrew Singleton, PhD, and Ignacio Mata, PhD, share how reaching 100,000+ samples is unlocking population-specific insights and accelerating discovery, and discuss their vision for GP2’s future.

🎧 bit.ly/4an1XQk
Side-by-side headshots of Andrew Singleton, PhD (left) and Ignacio Mata, PhD (right). Andrew Singleton is wearing a light blue collared shirt outdoors. Ignacio Mata is wearing a white lab coat, dress shirt, and tie against a neutral background.
February 12, 2026 at 4:06 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
A new #publication from CRN Team Edwards shows how a Parkinson's-linked CHCHD2 mutation disrupts mitochondria in dopaminergic neurons, increasing reactive oxygen species and driving α-synuclein aggregation, mapping a pathogenic cascade 🧪

🔗 Read the full publication: bit.ly/4bCsN9w
T61I point mutation increases accumulation of CHCHD2 and CHCHD10 in mitochondria preferentially in SN DA neurons.
February 11, 2026 at 4:00 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
In their latest #publication, CRN Team Schapira links PIKfyve inhibition to reduced α-synuclein pathology and increased lysosomal activity, suggesting a new therapeutic angle for #ParkinsonsDisease 🧪

Explore the findings: bit.ly/3MoQTKs
Alpha-synuclein inclusions reduced by PIKfyve inhibition in Parkinson disease cell models.
February 10, 2026 at 3:45 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
GP2’s new #publication showcases how rare and common variants in LRRK2 shape #ParkinsonsDisease risk across populations. New findings identify the rare p.A419V variant as a significant PD risk factor in East Asian populations 🧬

Read the full study: bit.ly/4kbUM1Q
Association of LRRK2 p.A419V with Parkinson’s Disease in East Asians and analysis of age at onset.
February 9, 2026 at 3:39 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
🧬 CRN Team Desjardins’ new #publication uncovers a mitochondria–lysosome pathway linking MAPL-induced pyroptosis to cGAS activation and Parkinson’s-related genes, including LRRK2 and VPS35.

Explore their findings: bit.ly/45AcqGC
MAPL promotes release of mtDNA in mitochondrial-derived vesicles.
February 6, 2026 at 3:30 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
📣 Check out CRN Team Hurley’s new preprint revealing how PI3P signaling recruits and stabilizes the ULK1 complex on membranes to initiate autophagy, via a key interaction between ATG13–ATG101 and WIPI proteins.

Read the full #preprint: bit.ly/49K7nG8
Identification of a WIPI3 interacting region in ATG13.
February 5, 2026 at 4:00 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
CRN Team Gradinaru introduces a genetically-encoded, self-assembling protein platform that recreates key hallmarks of #Parkinson’s, #Alzheimer’s, and #ALS in vivo 🧬

Check out the full #preprint: http://bit.ly/49FW9SS?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=bluesky&utm_campaign&utm_content=ap_3bsrlpfbhq
Programmable self-assembling system to model intracellular protein aggregation and decode neurodegenerative diseases.
February 4, 2026 at 3:24 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
The GP2–CMUL Molecular Laboratory at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos opened last week, supporting genetics research and hands-on training.

👉 Learn more about the new lab from local Nigerian news organizations:

🔗 bit.ly/4qUuTX6
🎥 bit.ly/4qGI3GQ
A group of approximately 14 professionals stands in a line inside a bright facility, posing for a group photo beneath a circular institutional seal mounted on the wall. The group includes Ekemini Riley, PhD, all there to support the opening of the GP2–CMUL Molecular Laboratory.
February 3, 2026 at 4:36 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
Don’t miss our upcoming #webinar featuring Timothy Ryan, PhD, from Weill Cornell Medicine, who will present “Metabolic Vulnerabilities in Neurodegeneration”.

Reserve your spot using the link below 👇

📅 February 9
⏰ 11:00 AM EST
RSVP: bit.ly/4aanRqZ
February 2, 2026 at 3:59 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
CRN Team Wood developed an imaging platform to map nanoscale α-synuclein aggregates in human postmortem brain tissue, revealing early disease-specific shifts linked to #Parkinsons 🧪

🔗 Read the full #publication: bit.ly/3ZnQ5bA
a, ASA-PD is an imaging and analysis method for detecting protein aggregates in tissue down to nanoscale aggregates. b, The five main steps for imaging and analysis. Background suppression and enhanced imaging improve the signal-to-noise ratio such that aggregates can be detected and quantified in the analysis pipeline, including the spatial distributions relative to cell-specific markers. BG, background. Panels a and b created with BioRender.com.
January 30, 2026 at 3:53 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
CRN Team Schlossmacher showed that x-ray phase-contrast tomography (XPCT) enables high-resolution, 3D analysis of neurodegenerative pathology in human brain tissue, revealing new structural insights into neuronal inclusions 🧪

🔗 Read the full #publication: bit.ly/3NSyFkO
Experimental approach. (A) Extraction of small tissue punches from selected regions of interest of standard paraffin blocks. These punches were then subjected to x-ray phase-contrast tomography at two different beamlines. (B) Illustration of selected intra- and extracellular neurodegenerative pathologies and biomarkers. 3D, three-dimensional; GvD, granulovacuolar degeneration; LB, Lewy bodies; XPCT, x-ray phase-contrast tomography.
January 29, 2026 at 3:47 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
🔬 January’s #OpenScience Champion is Eddy Albarran, PhD (CRN Team Surmeier)!

Eddy leads data sharing for his team, publishing data and code once ready and depositing outputs in DANDI, Brain Image Library, & Zenodo, extending open science beyond ASAP!

🔗 Read his recent #publication: bit.ly/3LQXXzj
A headshot of Eddy Albarran, PhD on a light blue background with dark blue text reading “Eddy Albarran, PhD, Team Surmeier.” The "Open Science Champion" badge and ASAP logo are also present.
January 28, 2026 at 3:53 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
CRN Teams Harper & Alessi used cryo-electron tomography to show how PINK1-activating stress disrupts mitochondrial structure, revealing protein aggregation, cristae loss, and key changes linked to #Parkinsons 🧬

🔗 Read the full #preprint: bit.ly/49N4mmW

✏️ @denkenny.bsky.social
Proteostatic stress triggers cristae remodeling and aggregate formation within mitochondria.
January 27, 2026 at 4:37 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
CRN Team Hardy found that a splice variant of PMCA2 localizes to the lysosome and helps regulate lysosomal calcium. Disruption of this pathway contributes to both Niemann-Pick disease type C and #ParkinsonsDisease 🧪

🔗 Read the full #preprint: bit.ly/4jOyOSl
PMCA2 is present in the lysosome.
January 26, 2026 at 4:14 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
ASAP and GP2 team members joined researchers and students from the University of Lagos College of Medicine for the opening of a new DNA extraction facility. This GP2-supported lab will house and process samples for submission to GP2 and train researchers, boosting regional research capacity🧬
Side-by-side photos from a GP2 event in Lagos. Left: three researchers stand on a stage during a commissioning ceremony, with Ekemini Riley, PhD, receiving a plaque; a GP2 Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program banner is visible behind them. Right: a larger group of researchers and partners pose with Ekemini Riley, PhD, smiling in front of the Kesington Adebukunola Adebutu Research Centre building, with the center’s name displayed prominently on the wall.
January 23, 2026 at 3:35 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
CRN Team Edwards characterized dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars lateralis (SNL) and found that blocking projections from the auditory cortex to SNL disrupts learning of danger-associated sounds.

🔗 Read the full #publication: bit.ly/4aYjvEq
Auditory threat conditioning is modulated by auditory association cortex neurons projecting to SNL.
January 22, 2026 at 5:13 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
🧪 Explore GP2’s dataset and the groups making it the most globally-representative #Parkinsons research network in the world. Use our map to see where GP2 is gathering data, and view and download the available data.

🔗 Learn more and explore the map: gp2.org/data-resourc...
January 21, 2026 at 3:57 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
CRN Team Sulzer found that restoring depleted gut microbes improved motor and gut function, while also reducing α-synuclein aggregates, showing that the gut microbiome is a modifiable contributor to #ParkinsonsDisease 🥼

🔗 Read the full #preprint: bit.ly/3LGbNo2
Treatment with benCom-PD improves motor and GI function and reduces pS129-αSyn in the striatum.
January 20, 2026 at 3:09 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
This month's Discover ASAP features Anastasia Filimontseva of CRN Team Vila 🧪

She shares a new deep learning–enabled platform for automated, standardized quantification of neuromelanin, unlocking faster, more precise insights into pigmented neuron loss in #Parkinsons.

📺 Watch: bit.ly/4jDTOuW
January 16, 2026 at 3:28 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
🧠📈 We are excited to welcome Alain Dagher, MD, PhD, from McGill University, as the January LRRK2 #webinar speaker.

👇 Reserve your spot using the link below.

📅 January 22
⏰ 1:00 PM ET
RSVP: bit.ly/4qabhxN
January 15, 2026 at 3:51 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
The ASAP website has a fresh, new look, making it easier for individuals to find what they need.

Check out the new site to see the updates, including our new homepage, improved highlights overview, a redesigned funding dashboard, and a dedicated tools & resources section!

🔗 bit.ly/3Mey2RX
Graphic showing the refreshed ASAP website displayed on a laptop, tablet, and smartphone against a teal-to-purple gradient background. The main screen features the headline “Uncovering the Roots of Parkinson’s Disease,” alongside a stylized brain graphic. The ASAP logo appears in the top right with the text “Check it out!”
January 14, 2026 at 3:51 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
Our new white paper, Investing in Open Science, is out 📄 🧪

What does it really take to fund #OpenScience? We unpack our 5 policy requirements, along with key barriers and cost drivers, from data infrastructure to OA/APCs and compliance reviews.

🔗 bit.ly/4sxzIH2
Graphic titled “Investing in Open Science” with the ASAP (Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s) logo at the top. A central header reads “The Open Science Movement,” followed by a dotted line labeled “Barriers & Costs.” Three downward arrows point to boxes highlighting key benefits of open science: enabling reproducibility and replicability, increasing collaboration, and reducing unnecessary duplication.
January 13, 2026 at 4:03 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
CRN Teams Cragg & Jakobsson's new #preprint maps the cell-type–specific transcriptional landscape of the parkinsonian striatum in mouse models and human Parkinson's stages, revealing widespread gene expression changes and resilient neuron subtypes amid progressive dopamine loss 🧪

🔗 bit.ly/4ju4MmS
Single-cell atlas of striatal cells from early-stage Parkinson's mouse models and Parkinson's patients.
January 12, 2026 at 4:25 PM
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
CRN Team Hurley developed AI-directed voxel extraction (AIVE), a segmentation strategy that refines AI-based organelle boundary predictions. Using AIVE, they identified a previously unknown mitochondrial contact termed the mitochondrial intrusion 🧪

🔗 Read the #publication: bit.ly/4qeZiOY
The compositional analysis of membranes in bulk cellular volumes via AIVE. (A–D)
January 9, 2026 at 3:51 PM