Replace or repair what's lost
Can we put back lost cells or help the brain regrow?
49 steps · 17 forward · 10 dead ends
Step 5 of 5 · Approved somewhere
Next result Mar 2027 · ASPIRO and exPDite-2
Is there a cure yet? · October 2026
346 steps toward a cure. 104 moved us forward.
Not yet. No treatment has yet been shown to slow, stop or reverse Parkinson's. But every discovery, tool and trial has taken us closer, including the ones that failed. They show us where not to look.
Before 1990 · 16
1990s · 15
2000s · 72
2010s · 136
2020s · 107
Each dot is one step: a discovery, a new tool or a trial, by the year it happened.
- 104 moved us forward
- 28 waiting for results
- 149 still open
- 13 overtaken by better ideas
- 52 dead ends
What we'll learn next
28 steps are waiting for results. These three come first.
Dates are expected, not promised. Trials often report late.
Six ways in
Ordered by how far the work has got, not by how likely it is to work. The dots are each approach's own steps. Every approach is measured on the same five steps, from lab only to approved somewhere.
Clear the bad protein
Can we stop the toxic clumps forming and spreading?
45 steps · 16 forward · 5 dead ends
Step 4 of 5 · Final large trials
Next result Dec 2026 · EXIST
Help cells clean up
Can we fix the cell's recycling and power?
57 steps · 10 forward · 13 dead ends
Step 4 of 5 · Final large trials
Next result Dec 2026 · N-DOSE
Look beyond the brain
Do the gut, the immune system or metabolism drive it?
60 steps · 6 forward · 11 dead ends
Step 4 of 5 · Final large trials
Next result Nov 2026 · TB006
Treat the inherited causes
Can we treat the genes behind some Parkinson's?
44 steps · 17 forward · 6 dead ends
Step 3 of 5 · Testing whether it helps
Next result Mar 2027 · BEACON
Keep vulnerable cells alive
Why do these cells die first, and can we shield them?
26 steps · 3 forward · 5 dead ends
Step 3 of 5 · Testing whether it helps
Next result Nov 2026 · Low-dose lithium
Compare all six in a table
| Approach | How far it has got | Did not work | Mixed or early | Results due | Next result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replace or repair what's lost | Step 5: Approved somewhere | 10 | 11 | 7 | Mar 2027 |
| Clear the bad protein | Step 4: Final large trials | 4 | 4 | 6 | Dec 2026 |
| Help cells clean up | Step 4: Final large trials | 11 | 11 | 4 | Dec 2026 |
| Look beyond the brain | Step 4: Final large trials | 9 | 11 | 5 | Nov 2026 |
| Treat the inherited causes | Step 3: Testing whether it helps | 2 | 1 | 2 | Mar 2027 |
| Keep vulnerable cells alive | Step 3: Testing whether it helps | 5 | 2 | 2 | Nov 2026 |