A step forward for LRRK2 inhibitors in Parkinson’s disease

In common with the majority of neurodegenerative diseases, there is an urgent and pressing need for novel disease modifying therapies for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Reporting the results of the first human trial for kinase inhibitors of Leucine Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2), Jennings and co-workers presented an important advance along the drug development pathway for a target that has long been a priority for the Parkinson’s research community. The focus discusses several topics including: functional characterisation of LRRK2 and the impact of mutations and a key role for altered kinase function in disease; the human genetics of the LRRK2 locus; the outcome of a first-in-human clinical trial for LRRK2 kinase inhibitors by Denali therapeutics, LRRK2 kinase inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in humans; the strategy of using antisense oligonucleotide knockdown approach and the challenges faced by clinical trials – measuring outcomes in chronic, slowly progressing disorders with variable rates of progression.