Scientists have identified the genes regulated by Fer2 and their involvement in mitochondrial functions, suggesting that this key protein could play a crucial role against the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons which leads to Parkinson’s disease. The latest study by a team of researchers from the University of Geneva has investigated the destruction of these dopaminergic neurons using the fruit fly as study model and identified the protective role of this key protein against this disease and said it could be a new therapeutic target. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by the destruction of a specific population of neurons: the dopaminergic neurons.