Inhibiting interactions between FAM171A2 and alpha-synuclein for Parkinson’s disease

Blocking FAM171A2, which has been linked to Parkinson’s disease by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), could help treat the disease by preventing the interaction between FAM171A2 and α-synuclein fibrils, thereby preventing the neuronal fibril uptake and accumulation that drives pathology.

FAM171A2 expression was increased in Parkinson’s disease patient cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples and postmortem brain tissue compared with samples and tissues from individuals without the disease. In CSF samples from Parkinson’s disease patients, FAM171A2 levels were negatively correlated with α-synuclein levels. ...