AD/PD 2026 | The link between diabetes and PD and the potential targeting of shared pathways
Tiago Outeiro, PhD, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany, and University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal, discusses the potential connection between diabetes and Parkinson’s disease (PD), highlighting that compounds affecting glycemia and diabetes may have therapeutic benefits in PD. Prof. Outeiro notes that although some clinical trials have yielded negative results, there is still optimism that targeting the pathways shared by diabetes and Parkinson’s could lead to beneficial outcomes. This interview took place at the AD/PD™ 2026 International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases in Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Transcript
So we recently wrote a commentary on a study that talked about these compounds. And basically the overall idea is that there is a connection between diabetes and Parkinson’s. And compounds that interfere with glycemia and with diabetes seem to have potential to be beneficial. Unfortunately, some of the clinical trials were not positive, but there’s still hope that maybe we may be able to find a way to interfere with these pathways that are at the crossroads between diabetes and Parkinson’s to the benefit of patients...
So we recently wrote a commentary on a study that talked about these compounds. And basically the overall idea is that there is a connection between diabetes and Parkinson’s. And compounds that interfere with glycemia and with diabetes seem to have potential to be beneficial. Unfortunately, some of the clinical trials were not positive, but there’s still hope that maybe we may be able to find a way to interfere with these pathways that are at the crossroads between diabetes and Parkinson’s to the benefit of patients. So this is a hope. There’s of course a lot of interest from industry, from researchers, and we just need to continue the work to really try to understand how we may best interfere with these pathways.
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