Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains a devastating whole brain disorder of debilitating motor and cognitive symptoms. Up to 40% of PD patients have cognitive deficits at disease onset, while approximately 50-80% of patients are at risk to develop dementia. Cognitive symptoms do not respond to dopamine replacement therapies, which may have negative effects. There is a significant unmet need for neuroprotective disease modifying agents that can prevent, slow, or reverse both cognitive and motor decline, as well as avoid the long-term consequences of current treatments. Earlier clinical versions of our current Receptides (RAP peptides) were effective to reverse cognitive deficits in HIV by blocking CCR5, and we believe similar benefits may be shown in PD for cognitive, and potentially motor improvements. By similar mechanisms, benefits in AD and other dementias may be possible.
