SPARK NS and Haukeland Univ Hospital Begin Parkinson's Clinical Trial

Trial will study D-Serine as a potential neuroprotective treatment for Parkinson’s.

SPARK NS and Haukeland University Hospital are collaborating on a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase 2b study to evaluate the efficacy of orally administered D-Serine in patients with clinically established Parkinson’s disease. Based on findings from previous preclinical and clinical studies, D-Serine is safe and tolerable and has the potential to improve both motor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease animal models and patients. The objective of the trial, called D-SPARK, is to assess whether orally administered D-Serine can improve symptoms or delay progression of Parkinson’s disease.

The trial is the first to emerge from the SPARK NS Translational Research Program, initiated in 2023 and currently supporting 22 Parkinson’s and autism projects across the US, UK, and Europe. (Learn more about the program.) The study advances the foundational preclinical work of David Sulzer, PhD, Professor of Neurobiology at Columbia University. Dr. Sulzer was selected by SPARK NS in 2024 for participation in the organization’s ongoing Translational Research Program.

Kevin Grimes, MD, MBA, Chief Clinical and Education Advisor of SPARK NS, said, “Despite decades of research and billions of dollars invested, the 12 million plus people around the world diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and their families have no treatments that slow, reverse, or improve the trajectory of this progressively neurodegenerative disease. This study could bring us a step closer to a transformative therapy for Parkinson’s where currently none exists.”

The clinical trial is led by Charalampos Tzoulis, MD, PhD, Director of the Neuro-SysMed Center of Excellence for Clinical Neurological Research and Professor of Neurology and Neurogenetics at Haukeland University Hospital and the University of Bergen, Norway.

“We are especially grateful for the opportunity to work with Haukeland University Hospital and Charalampos Tzoulis, recognized world leaders in Parkinson’s research and clinical trials,” said Daria Mochly-Rosen PhD, Chief Science and Education Advisor of SPARK NS. “We share a commitment to advancing discoveries that potentially bring hope to patients in urgent need.”

“New therapeutic options are urgently needed for people living with Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Tzoulis. “The D-SPARK trial will evaluate the therapeutic potential of a highly promising compound. This project reflects the catalytic power of international collaboration and the importance of translating fundamental discoveries into clinical benefit. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the SPARK NS team and their funding support, which makes this endeavor possible.”

The trial will enroll 100 patients recruited from participating hospitals in Norway only. Additional information can be found on ClinicalTrials.gov at D-SPARK: A Clinical Trial of D-Serine for Modifying Parkinson’s Disease Progression.