New advances in the fight against Parkinson's disease. Thanks to a substantial fund from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Giovanna Paolone, a pharmacology researcher, will be able to investigate the underlying mechanisms of neurodegeneration in a subset of patients with this disease. The research will be conducted in partnership with Johan Lundkvisk and Lars Wahlberg of the biotechnology company "Sinfonia Biotherapeutics." The goal of the research is to prevent and treat neurodegeneration using a gene therapy-based release system that permits the direct secretion of therapeutic factors in the damaged regions of the brain. "The therapeutic approach we intend to develop - as Paolone explains - is not intended for the average patient, but rather for patients with specific characteristics linked to a specific gene mutation. The GBA1 gene mutation is regarded as one of the most important genetic risk factors in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's. Therefore, we intend to simultaneously intervene on the mutation-induced damage and the neurodegeneration that characterizes the disease ". And concludes "We are extremely grateful to the foundation for supporting our studies, which, through the collaboration between academic and industrial research, facilitate the development of a new treatment for Parkinson's patients,"