The Promise of Gene Therapies for the Management of Parkinson Disease: Mazen Elkurd, DO

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes

"We're dealing with all these different subtypes that may represent completely different disorders right at their core. We have the gene therapies that are going to be targeting those genetic variants in Parkinson disease. I think that's most likely where we're going to see some major breakthrough sooner than any of the other avenues”

In the pursuit of developing effective treatments for Parkinson disease (PD), clinical researchers and providers are having conversations around the various avenues to explore new innovative therapies for the disease. Symptomatic relief through infusion therapies and the promising realm of gene therapies targeting specific genetic variants, can potentially combating the complexities and challenges of PD.

Mazen Elkurd, DO, a movement disorders specialist and director of the Movement Disorders Center at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, a part of Baylor Scott & White Health, attended the 2nd Annual Advanced Therapeutics in Movement and Related Disorders (ATMRD) Congress, held by the PMD Alliance from June 8 to 11, 2023, in Washington, DC. The meeting explored different topics in PD such as the latest developments, potential treatment breakthroughs, and the crucial role that patients play in shaping the future of managing the disease.

Elkurd sat down in an interview with NeurologyLive® at the meeting to discuss the current challenges in developing disease-modifying treatments for PD. He also talked about how gene therapies offer potential breakthroughs in treating specific subtypes of PD. In addition, Elkurd spoke about how visual aids and digital resources that clinicians can recommend to their patients with PD to help bridge the knowledge gap and empower them in the management of the disease.

Click here for more coverage of ATMRD 2023.