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Disease-modifying Therapies: The Future Promise of Slowing and Stopping Parkinson’s Disease
Tuesday, 24th February 2026
At Shake It Up, our mission has always been to accelerate innovative research and better treatments for Parkinson’s – not only to manage symptoms, but to slow and stop progression of the disease. This is a vital step on the path to a cure, and critical to the momentum towards a world without Parkinson’s. This mission is grounded in real hope for a future in which people with Parkinson’s could slow their disease progression, or those at risk of Parkinson’s could even prevent symptoms from occurring in the first place. Known as ‘Disease-modifying Therapies‘, these treatments are not a reality yet – but they are closer than ever. Of the more than 170 Parkinson’s therapies that are currently in or nearing human trials, more than half are disease-modifying.
Our partner The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) describes these therapies as “the greatest unmet need for people with Parkinson’s” and highlights the reasons we should all feel optimistic that we’re moving closer to them. Below we highlight the key insights they share about disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and resources to learn more.
1. Disease-modifying Therapies Work Differently Than Symptom-improving Therapies
In people with Parkinson’s disease, it’s the loss of dopamine neurons in the brain which leads to dopamine depletion and subsequent motor symptoms, such as tremors or difficulty walking. Rather than focusing on easing or improving these symptoms, DMTs are designed to “interrupt the biological processes causing the symptoms, preventing the neurodegeneration from happening in the first place”, according to MJFF.
Ultimately, the goal for these therapies is that they could protect existing brain cells and prevent dopamine neurons from dying – something that current treatments cannot do.
2. Disease-modifying Therapies Won’t Replace Symptom-improving Therapies
Parkinson’s is a complex disease, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to treating it. It’s expected that many solutions will be required to achieve a world without PD.
MJFF highlights that today’s therapeutic pipeline of potential treatments is rich with both. About half of PD clinical trials are testing new formulations that give individuals more options for managing the symptoms, and the other half are testing therapies focused on the biology that underpins the disease.
Register to watch an on-demand webinar from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research about how scientists are trying to support healthy brain function or intervene in how PD affects the brain.
3. Disease-modifying Therapies Are The Future for Precision Medicine
Researchers foresee a precision medicine approach to Parkinson’s disease – “tailoring treatment to a person’s specific cellular dysfunction at the level of genes and proteins.” Scientists are still learning about the biological processes that underpin Parkinson’s, and these findings will inform emerging precision medicine approaches and potential disease-modifying therapies.
“Slowing and stopping Parkinson’s would mean everything to my family. Knowing that research has the power to change lives, ease daily challenges, and give families back some normality makes supporting this cause incredibly special to me.” – Emily
4. Disease-modifying Therapies Are Closer Than Ever
The Michael J. Fox Foundation notes that there are many signs of progress that indicate we are on the right path to achieving these DMTs. In June 2025, Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche announced that its disease-modifying therapy to stop the buildup of alpha-synuclein would move into Phase III clinical trials. Earlier trials of the drug, called prasinezumab, showed some signs that it slowed disease progression in people with PD. Over the next several years, researchers will gather more data to better understand how prasizenumab affects disease progression. Other closely watched drugs in Phase II or III trials target biology associated with genetic changes in LRRK2 and GBA1.
In Australia, Shake It Up funded projects are exploring many avenues of research designed to build understanding of the causes of Parkinson’s, identify better ways to manage symptoms, and slow and stop progression.
At the University of Queensland, researchers have developed an anti-inflammatory drug and watched its effects inside the living brain, using advanced imaging. Testing in mice models showed the treatment was successful in blocking inflammation and prevented the disease from killing more neurons, therefore stopping its progression. At NeuRA, researchers are looking at whether the Nix protein restores mitophagy and mitochondrial function in people with the PINK1/PARKIN gene mutation. The team is working on the theory that overexpressing the Nix protein using gene therapy could stop the progression of Parkinson’s.
“Slowing Parkinson’s would mean easing the daily struggles that so many people quietly face. Stopping it would mean ending the fear of what tomorrow might bring. And curing it — that would mean freedom. My dad, and millions of others like him, deserve more than just to “cope” with this disease. They deserve hope. They deserve progress. They deserve a future where Parkinson’s doesn’t define their lives.” – Rebecca
In this video you can hear from people with Parkinson’s about their experiences with the disease: the challenging moments, the connections that get them through, and the hope they have for disease-modifying therapies.
If you’re living with Parkinson’s — or love someone who is — a treatment that could slow symptoms or prevent them from occurring offers real hope. Shake It Up, and our partner The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, are committed to co-funding research that will push us further towards these future treatments, bring the right therapies to everyone who needs them, and ultimately: end Parkinson’s together.
You can support Shake It Up’s vision of a world without Parkinson’s, and help us to propel progress towards new breakthroughs this Parkinson’s Awareness Month. Choose your challenge or host a fundraising event during April, or make a donation to help scientists drive discovery. 100% of every dollar donated will go directly to cutting-edge research aiming to slow, stop and cure Parkinson’s disease.
