Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have developed a new preclinical model for studying Parkinson's disease, which may offer a simpler method for its detection. The model involves knocking out a protein transport component in mice, leading to retinal accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein aggregates, similar to those found in human Parkinson's patients. The study, which could impact about one million Americans diagnosed with Parkinson's, was led by Dr. Ching Hwa Sung and included contributions from Drs. Cheng Fu, Nan Yang, Nobuyuki Nakajima, Satoshi Iraha, Jen Zen Chuang, and Neeta Roy.