Koneksa PD Day and MJFF

In the same week that the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) held its 14th annual Parkinson’s Disease (PD) Therapeutics Conference in New York City, Koneksa held its inaugural PD Day. While MJFF focused on showcasing the biology behind the disease, Koneksa demonstrated the role of digital sensors in improving the standard for measurement of functional manifestations of PD.

Koneksa welcomed a mixture of new and familiar faces to the event. At the center of the event was a meeting discussing initial data from Koneksa’s PD Disease Progression Study (NCT06219629). Pharmaceutical syndicate partners Merck and Regeneron, discussed the emerging results from the observational cohort with our leadership team, and we were honored to be joined by Drs. Wassilios Meissiner, Tanya Simuni and Anat Mirelman, and other researchers to debate key questions regarding Koneksa’s proposed sub-study in PD patients receiving GLP-1 therapies.

The most powerful and impactful insights shared at the event came from Parkinson’s patients themselves, who shared their personal journeys with the disease. Their story about when they first found out they had PD, with initial signs and symptoms, to the daily challenges they face, and the impact of varying symptoms, was both informative and inspiring. It reminded me that each PD patient’s experience is unique, which gave me a greater appreciation of the adage, “if you’ve met one person with PD… you’ve met one person with PD.”

This year’s MJFF Therapeutics Conference featured a showcase of data supporting emerging therapeutic candidates, including Gain Therapeutics’ promising GCase targeting GT-02287. There was also significant discussion of transition from the old standards of disease classification or staging, towards biologically defined disease. In the final session of the day, Dr. Tanya Simuni’s opening remarks provided a brilliant summary of the evolution in our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. Drawing on past progress made in biologically defining Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Dr. Simuni outlined the foundation publication applying this framework to create the neuronal α-synuclein disease (n-αsyn) integrated staging system (NSD-ISS) which she authored earlier in the year. 

The shift from clinically-defined syndromes, PD and dementia with Lewy bodies, to biologically defined n-αsyn has been enabled by advancements in α-syn biomarker assays. There is hope that recruiting clinical study cohorts based on biological classifications rather than clinical phenotypes could help drug developers overcome the challenges in demonstrating a disease-modifying treatment effect in heterogeneous PD populations.

Our work at Koneksa is making a significant impact for PD patients by bringing precision to disease measurement through digital biomarkers. Our digital biomarker technology allows for more accurate tracking of disease progression, enabling earlier intervention and more personalized care. As the community moves towards biologically defined diseases, Koneksa’s technology could transform how we understand, treat, and ultimately manage Parkinson's disease, improving the quality of life for the millions of patients globally who live with this unrelenting neurodegenerative disease.