As part of our #TeamTuesday series, we’re spotlighting CRN Team Ashton’s work to strengthen #Parkinsons-related biomarker detection. Their ultrasensitive multiplex immunoassays will help measure protein targets across blood and CSF samples, supporting broader biomarker discovery. bit.ly/4u7lvRp

This month’s Discover ASAP features CRN Team Voet's @olgasigalova.bsky.social, Alexandra Pančíková, @juliedeman.bsky.social, & Koen Theunis 🧪 They share a dataset linking non-coding variants to cell type–specific gene regulation in the brain, revealing how genetic risk shapes #PD bit.ly/4trTmmN

How do early molecular events shape the spread of #ParkinsonsDisease? Discovery Fellows Caroline Haikal, Eric Herrmann, Patrick Kearney, and Naman Vatsa are probing how alpha-synuclein pathology begins and propagates ⬇️ 🔗 bit.ly/42XLNtg

New tools. Shared globally. Built to move #Parkinsons research forward. A new blog explores CRN Tool Generation teams developing CRISPR-engineered cell lines, viral vectors, chemical probes, and more. Follow along for upcoming #TeamTuesday spotlights 👇 🔗 bit.ly/4tx24Aa

In a new #preprint, CRN Team Edwards shows that activating nAChRs directly modulates dopaminergic axon excitability, driving local burst firing followed by a period of refractory inhibition. 🔗 Read the full preprint: bit.ly/3OHPjVq

We’re excited to welcome Laurie Sanders, PhD, from Duke University as the May LRRK2 Central #webinar speaker. 👇 Reserve your spot using the link below. 📅 May 28, 2026 ⏰ 1:00 PM ET RSVP: bit.ly/4cz1qx3

In a new #preprint from CRN Team Lee, metabolic stress reveals a hidden layer of vulnerability in G2019S LRRK2 mice, driving widespread disruptions in nucleotide and energy metabolism and amplifying mitochondrial dysfunction. 🔗 Check out the full preprint: bit.ly/4d2P5jC

Computational and data-driven approaches are accelerating Parkinson’s research. The expanded Collaborative Research Network is using advanced models to uncover patterns across genetics, biology, and environment, helping move discovery forward. Learn more about our new teams: 🔗 bit.ly/4ujZUF5

👏 Miratul Muqit, PhD, Lead PI of Team Muqit and a Co-PI of CRN Team Alessi, is featured in The Lancet Neurology for his leadership in #ParkinsonsDisease research. His work on PINK1-Parkin biology and mitochondrial quality control continues to shape the field. 🔗 bit.ly/4dqzWuu

📢 New #publication from CRN Team Hardy! This study shows that GPNMB is secreted by macrophages in response to lysosomal stress via lysosomal exocytosis. 🔗 Read the full publication: bit.ly/4dalhTo

In a new #preprint, CRN Team Desjardins discovers that gastrointestinal infection in PINK1 KO mice triggers early neurodegeneration in the enteric nervous system, driven by mtDNA release and activation of cGAS/STING inflammatory pathways. 🔗 Read the full preprint: bit.ly/4vXlBfx

GP2 released a new #preprint examining ANO6 (TMEM16F) in #ParkinsonsDisease. Across large-scale genetic data (~63K cases; 1.7M controls), signals at the ANO6 locus were driven by linkage to LRRK2, not an independent Parkinson’s disease risk. 🔗 Read the full preprint: bit.ly/3Pc0llP

New #preprint from GP2 highlights SORL1 as a potential driver across neurodegenerative diseases. Analyzing large-scale biobank data, this study identifies SORL1 variants linked to Alzheimer’s disease and #ParkinsonsDisease risk across diverse populations. 🔗 Read the full preprint: bit.ly/4dHWVkC

🛠️ New tools power discovery. 6 CRN teams are building open, scalable resources to help validate targets and accelerate #ParkinsonsDisease research 🧪 🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/4mT16ws

🧠 #ParkinsonsDisease is not uniform — it varies widely. 26 CRN teams are studying PD heterogeneity across environmental exposures, co-pathologies, aging, brain circuits, alpha-synuclein biology, and protein clearance, defining subtypes and advancing targeted care. 🔗 bit.ly/4tEX6SP 🧪

📢 Unraveling Parkinson’s. Advancing Precision Medicine. New CRN grants in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research bring together 32 global teams to map the biology of #ParkinsonsDisease and build tools to accelerate discovery. 🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/4ugkfes

👏 This month’s Network Spotlight goes to Cláudia Mendes, Laura Castilla-Vallmanya, & Johnson Agniswamy! Their leadership helped connect trainees across Teams Cragg, Jakobsson, & Wichmann to ASAP’s first Career Workshop—driving strong participation across the network 🎉"

CRN Team Chen released a new #preprint showing that MC1R loss-of-function variants are linked to faster motor progression in #ParkinsonsDisease. In 802 PPMI participants, affected individuals showed a 23% higher rate of motor decline vs. sporadic cases. 🔗 Read the full preprint: bit.ly/4cX0ZwC

🔬 April’s #OpenScience Champion is Joanne Stasiak (CRN Team Strick)! Joanne exemplified reproducible research by sharing fMRI data on OpenNeuro, publishing code + analysis scripts on GitHub & Zenodo, and documenting datasets with clear codebooks. 🔗 Check out her paper: bit.ly/3NNkPR8

🧪 April is #ParkinsonsAwarenessMonth, connecting people to the science driving progress. We’re proud to support @parkinsondotorg.bsky.social ’s PD GENEration study, expanding access to no-cost genetic testing. 📍 On-site testing at the World Parkinson’s Congress (May 24–27). 🔗 bit.ly/40BBxpF

Meet the 2026 ASAP CRN Discovery Fellows 🧪 This fellowship supports early-career scientists as they build independent research programs in #ParkinsonsResearch while developing the next generation of scientific leaders. 🔗 https://bit.ly/4cxE9vz

📢 New #preprint from CRN Team Strick! Using 7T and 3T fMRI, this study identifies a pathway linking affective and motor regions via the ventral putamen, and shows how incentive conditions shape both brain activity and movement. 🔗 Read the full preprint: bit.ly/3O23HaH

GP2 just launched a new, free course: Identifying & Phenotyping Individuals At-Risk for Parkinson's Disease! Learn how researchers identify at-risk individuals and use decentralized, remote tools to advance early detection. 🔗 Create an account: bit.ly/4nJfarZ 👉 Access the course: bit.ly/4dVaeP1

We’re excited to welcome Heidi McBride, PhD, from McGill University as the April LRRK2 Central #webinar speaker. 👇 Reserve your spot using the link below. 📅 April 23, 2026 ⏰ 1:00 PM ET RSVP: bit.ly/3PfcOF7

📣 Don’t miss our upcoming @mito911.bsky.social #webinar featuring Thomas Melia, PhD, from Yale School of Medicine. 👇 Reserve your spot using the link below. 📅 April 21 ⏰ 11:00 AM ET RSVP: bit.ly/4sfBDiF

📢 Check out this new #publication from CRN Team Strick. The study explores how the lateral prefrontal cortex responds during threat anticipation, with the frontal pole (FPI) emerging as a key region linking emotional signals and goal-directed control. 🔗 bit.ly/4c9Cmez

🧠 New #publication from CRN Team Chen, explores immune changes in LRRK2 mutation carriers and #ParkinsonsDisease. Findings highlight distinct immune profiles in blood vs. CSF and potential serum markers for monitoring responses. Read more: bit.ly/4rW4bgq

New from CRN Team De Camilli — building on findings first shared as a #preprint in August: Dopamine neurons regulate their own energy stores through D2 autoreceptors, signaling when to store glycogen and supporting resilience under metabolic stress. 🔗 Read the full #publication: bit.ly/4tk70sH

CRN Team Edwards’ new #publication explores how GABA-A receptors shape dopaminergic axon excitability and nAChR-driven calcium signaling. They also show that a commonly used GABAAR antagonist (picrotoxin) can inhibit nAChRs, highlighting the need for caution in circuit studies. 🔗 bit.ly/3Nywq6M

📣 New #publication from CRN Team Alessi identifies the crystal structure of a lysosomal protein linked to waste clearance and recruitment of adaptor proteins — offering insight into #ParkinsonsDisease and potential therapeutic targets. 🔗 bit.ly/4sQgI6p

ASAP is marking #ParkinsonsAwarenessMonth 🌷 All April, we’re highlighting the scientists behind #ParkinsonsDisease research, and what’s ahead: new findings, grants, and updates across the network. All to ultimately improve lives for people living with Parkinson’s.

🧠 CRN Team Surmeier released a new #publication exploring how sustained dopamine levels during dyskinesia reshape striatal neuron activity, revealing state-specific changes in excitability and connectivity. 🔗 bit.ly/3Nsmzzk

📣 New #preprint from CRN Team De Camilli exploring how lysosomal disruption activates LRRK2. The team finds that LRRK2 responds to different types of lysosomal stress via Rab GTPases and GABARAP-dependent pathways. 🔗: bit.ly/4lMUEXr

GP2's latest #preprint examines the genetic landscape of #ParkinsonsDisease in South Africa, the largest study of its kind to date. Analyzing 689 individuals, the team identifies rare variants and novel changes in key genes. 🔗: bit.ly/4sutGWX

CRN Team Surmeier's new #preprint examines how the striatum encodes specific movements. Using imaging and optogenetics, the study shows that distinct neural ensembles can drive precise ongoing actions, providing insight into movement control and dysfunction. 🔗: bit.ly/4rVPdXJ

In a new blog, the GP2 team highlights the commissioning of a DNA extraction facility at the University of Lagos College of Medicine. The GP2-supported lab will process samples locally and expand Parkinson's genetics research and research capacity in West Africa. 🔗: bit.ly/4d7o68k

📣 Check out CRN Team Strick's new #preprint building a multi-omic atlas of medium spiny neurons in the macaque striatum. The team identifies two ventral striatum neuron subtypes and links specific cell types to genetic risk for #ParkinsonsDisease and psychiatric traits. 🔗: bit.ly/4lwGLMI

🔬 March's #OpenScience Champion is CRN Team Strick! Across six publications, the team has shared all associated preprints, datasets, code, and protocols in full alignment with ASAP’s Open Science Policy, making their science open and accessible to the entire research community.

We’re excited to welcome Ozge Karayel, PhD, as the March LRRK2 Central #webinar speaker. 👇 Reserve your spot using the link below. 📅 March 26, 2026 ⏰ 1:00 PM ET RSVP: bit.ly/46VSoXP

We’re excited to welcome Ozge Karayel, PhD, as the March LRRK2 Central #webinar speaker. 👇 Reserve your spot using the link below. 📅 March 26, 2026 ⏰ 1:00 PM ET RSVP: bit.ly/46VSoXP

CRN Team De Camilli’s new #preprint reveals the near-atomic cryo-EM structure of VPS13C, a lipid transfer protein linked to #Parkinsons 🧬 The study identifies a lipid-transfer-nonpermissive conformation and calmodulin as a regulatory partner. 🔗 bit.ly/4u5KMvJ

CRN Team Gradinaru’s new #preprint introduces the spiny mouse (Acomys dimidiatus) as a model of #Parkinsons. α-synuclein PFFs triggered widespread pS129-positive pathology and pronounced nigrostriatal degeneration, with marked dopaminergic changes 🔗 : bit.ly/4qS4oR8

For #BrainAwarenessWeek, we’re highlighting the ASAP CRN Cloud, helping researchers accelerate #Parkinsons research through open data sharing. It includes: 🧠 1,810 samples 🔬 Contributions from 12 CRN teams 🌍 22 public datasets Explore the CRN Cloud: https://parkinsonsroadmap.org/crn-cloud/

This month’s Discover ASAP features Yujie Fan, PhD, of CRN Team Gradinaru. Yujie shares a programmable, self-assembling platform to model protein aggregation, creating new ways to study how #Parkinsons begins, spreads, and affects vulnerable neural circuits. 🧪 Watch: bit.ly/4bEhugk

📢 New #preprint from CRN Team Hurley! The team uncovers the mechanism of ATG2A-mediated lipid transport 🧬 Structural modeling and simulations show that N-terminal helices gate lipid transfer, and a designed mutant transfers lipids three times faster in vitro. 🔗 bit.ly/4rHuWpr

GP2’s Andrew Singleton, PhD, spoke with ABC Radio Sydney while in Australia for Shake It Up Foundation’s Parkinson’s Research Forum, discussing how genetics and environment influence #Parkinson’sDisease risk and GP2’s work with Shake It Up to generate Parkinson’s disease data 🧪 bit.ly/4ljoJh0

📣 Don’t miss our upcoming @mito911.bsky.social #webinar featuring Elena Ziviani, PhD, from the Università di Padova. 👇 Reserve your spot using the link below. 📅 March 17 ⏰ 12:00 PM ET RSVP: bit.ly/3MsrW0W

New #preprint from CRN Team Cragg identifies an Sst+ neuron subtype that projects from GPi to LHb, forming a broad feedback network across the basal ganglia and supporting goal-directed behavioral flexibility 🧠 🔗 Read their findings: bit.ly/4rHdlxR

CRN Team Voet uses single-cell long-read genome sequencing to reveal unexpected genetic variation in human brain cells 🧬 Their findings highlight brain-specific transposable element activity. 🔗 Read the latest #publication: https://bit.ly/46mIvSE

📢 New #preprint from CRN Team Hurley! The team uncovers the mechanism of ATG2A-mediated lipid transport 🧪 Structural modeling and simulations show that N-terminal helices gate lipid transfer, and a designed mutant transfers lipids three times faster in vitro. 🔗 bit.ly/3ZVAxw6