Peptoid-based vaccines emerge as promising therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease, offering proteolytic resistance and neuroprotective potential

Parkinson's disease (PD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, lacks disease-modifying treatments, with current therapies only offering symptomatic relief. A key pathological feature is the abnormal aggregation of α-synuclein (αSyn) into Lewy bodies. Peptoid-based vaccines offer a novel approach, overcoming the proteolytic degradation limitations of traditional peptides. These peptidomimetics can be engineered for stability, prevent protein aggregation, modulate cell signaling, and act as anti-inflammatory agents, addressing critical gaps in PD therapy.

This comprehensive review synthesizes current research on peptoid-based vaccines for Parkinson's disease (PD), highlighting their unique advantages over traditional peptide therapeutics. The authors found that peptoids are inherently resistant to proteolytic degradation, a critical feature enabling their therapeutic potential in challenging physiological environments.

Peptoids demonstrate multifaceted mechanisms relevant to PD, including the ability to prevent α-synuclein protein aggregation, modulate crucial cell signaling pathways, and exert anti-inflammatory effects, contributing to neuroprotection. Their structural stability and engineering versatility also position them for biomarker detection and broader applications in neurodegenerative disease. The review underscores peptoids' potential to address the unmet need for disease-modifying treatments in PD.