This video is a compilation of Australian TV news segments reporting on the preliminary results of an Australian-led clinical trial first presented by Professor Simon Lewis in the Clinical Breakthrough session at the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society meeting in Seoul (2026). The study was an investigator‑initiated trial, supported through philanthropy via Parkinson’s UK, and explored whether an experimental small‑molecule drug could reduce brain inflammation in people at very high risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Across the news reports and interviews, Professor Lewis explains the team focused on people with isolated REM sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD), a condition where people act out their dreams and which carries a very high lifetime risk of Parkinson’s and related diseases. Participants were selected because they showed subtle early features associated with risk (such as mild slowing, reduced sense of smell, or colour-discrimination vision changes) and evidence of neuroinflammation on brain imaging.
The trial tested a 12‑week course of treatment versus placebo, using brain scans to measure inflammation in movement-related regions. The reported findings include statistically significant reductions in inflammation after treatment, and encouraging differences in physical measures at follow‑up. While the coverage highlights the potential to slow progression or even delay onset, Professor Lewis emphasises these are early results and that larger, longer trials – requiring substantial funding and participant involvement are the necessary next step.
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