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.

One searches for a cure for Parkinson's, reads articles on levodopa, deep brain stimulation (DBS), dopamine agonists-and almost never encounters the name Gondola. Yet there are fourteen peer-reviewed scientific publications behind this peripheral mechanical stimulation device. A far from negligible number.

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: “From the world of research, since dopamine has existed, researchers normally aim to improve the molecule, because it's simpler: you take the pill, you put it down, and something happens. And all research has been drug-based, dopamine and its agonists, and anything that is alternative to the drug is always seen as something secondary.”

Research in Non-Pharmacological Therapy

Parkinson's treatment does not end with medication. Parkinson's physiotherapy, neurological rehabilitation, and noninvasive therapies are part of a multidisciplinary approach recommended by major international guidelines. Yet in clinical practice, these options often remain marginal compared to drug prescription. Gondola is exactly in this grey area: classified as a device for motor rehabilitation in Parkinson's, it ends up being equated with any other motor support activity, despite acting with a specific mechanism.

As Tassin recounts, “Despite 14 scientific publications, which is an important thing that few nonpharmacological therapies have, they have not shed much light in the world of neurology, treating this innovation somewhat as if it were an uncomfortable relative or putting it in the world of rehabilitation in general.’

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 precise numbers: “So many patients tell me ‘I found Gondola because a friend of mine with Parkinson's has it, and he's much better now,’ or I'm told ‘I saw this thing on the Internet in the research, drugs do little 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 figure, which sums up the whole issue, is simple: “8 out of 10 people tell me, ‘Why didn't my neurologist tell me?’ I'm not able to answer that question, I'm just not able to.”

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.