Parkinson's Disease: Why Is Gondola Still So Unknown?

Anyone who has received a Parkinson's diagnosis knows how difficult it is to navigate the available treatment options.

You search for a cure for Parkinson's, you read articles about levodopa, deep brain stimulation (DBS), dopamine agonists — and you almost never come across the name Gondola. Yet behind this mechanical peripheral stimulation device lie fourteen peer-reviewed scientific publications. A number that is far from negligible.

A Neurodegenerative Disease and a System That Doesn't Change

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that primarily affects the areas of the brain responsible for motor control. The symptoms of Parkinson's — tremor, muscle rigidity, postural instability, and the dreaded episodes of freezing of gait — compromise the daily quality of life of patients and their caregivers. The neurological response to all of this has remained largely unchanged for decades: pharmacological therapies aimed at compensating for the dopamine deficit caused by Parkinson's.

Stefano Tassin, co-founder and CTO of Gondola Medical Technologies, is convinced of this: "In the research world, ever since dopamine was discovered, researchers have consistently aimed to improve the molecule, because it's simpler: you take the pill, you swallow it, and something happens. All research has been built around drugs — dopamine and its agonists — and everything that is an alternative to medication is always viewed as secondary."

Research in Non-Pharmacological Therapy

The treatment of Parkinson's does not end with drugs. Physiotherapy for Parkinson's, neurological rehabilitation, and non-invasive therapies are all part of a multidisciplinary approach recommended by the leading international clinical guidelines. Yet in everyday clinical practice, these options often remain marginal compared to pharmacological prescriptions. Gondola sits exactly in this shadow zone: classified as a device for motor rehabilitation in Parkinson's, it ends up being equated with any other general motor support activity, despite acting through a specific neurological mechanism.

As Tassin explains: "Despite the 14 scientific publications — which are a significant body of evidence that very few non-pharmacological therapies can claim — they have not shed much light within the neurology community, which has treated this innovation a bit like an unwelcome relative, or simply filed it under general rehabilitation."

Freezing of Gait, Movement Disorders, and Quality of Life

One of the most disabling aspects for those living with Parkinson's disease is walking freezing, those episodes when the patient suddenly freezes, unable to move their feet. Studies on AMPS (Automated Mechanical Peripheral Stimulation) therapy delivered by Gondola show documented improvements on this very front: reduction of freezing episodes, increase in walking speed, improvement in stride length and motor parameters assessed with the UPDRS scale. Results that, in theory, every neurological specialist should know about.

Yet Tassin cannot hide his frustration: “I am convinced-I am not sure, but I am convinced-that it is almost offensive not to know about Gondola, because if it is true what we say, if it is true what the scientific publications document, and most importantly this can be evaluated by any neurologist who objectively assesses the results after Gondola treatment, the existence of this therapeutic approach should be one of the main pieces of information that is given to the patient with Parkinson's.”

Parkinson's Patients Are Finding It on Their Own

In this information vacuum, it is the patients and their families who independently search for alternatives to Parkinson's medication. Those with advanced-stage Parkinson's that no longer responds well to levodopa therapy, those watching a parent with progressive Parkinson's deteriorate month by month: these people search online, compare experiences in communities, and ask friends. And often, that is how they find Gondola.

Tassin confirms this with telling numbers: "So many patients tell me, 'I found Gondola because a friend of mine has Parkinson's and is doing so much better,' or I hear, 'I saw this mentioned online in research — the medication barely does anything for me,' or, 'Dad is getting worse every day, I'm looking for something different, and I found you.'"

The Question Without an Answer

The most striking detail — one that sums up the entire issue — is simple: "8 out of 10 people say to me, 'Why didn't my neurologist tell me about this?' I am not able to answer that question. I genuinely am not."

This admission from Tassin says more than any systemic analysis could. When a patient diagnosed with Parkinson's disease has to discover on their own — through internet searches or word of mouth — that a non-invasive Parkinson's therapy exists with 14 clinical studies behind it, available immediately and without side effects, it means something in the medical information pathway is not working. Treating Parkinson's is not just a matter of molecules: it requires an integrated approach that draws on every available solution. And it is, quite simply, a matter of which information reaches the patient — and from whom.

Stefano Tassin is co-founder and CTO of Gondola Medical Technologies, a Swiss company that developed the Gondola device for AMPS therapy in the treatment of movement disorders in Parkinson's disease.