Biological implications and limitations of a cynomolgus monkey with naturally occurring Parkinson’s disease

We recently identified a cynomolgus monkey with naturally occurring Parkinson’s disease (PD), indicating that PD may not be a uniquely human disease (Li et al, 2020). In our previous study, four lines of evidence, including typical PD clinical symptoms, pharmacological responses, pathological hallmarks, and genetic mutations, strongly supported the identification of a monkey with spontaneous PD (Figure 1). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of naturally developed PD in animals. This suggests that PD is not a disease restricted to humans, with its existence in a non-human primate providing a novel evolutionary angle for understanding PD. As a close relative to humans (Buffalo et al, 2019; Phillips et al, 2014; Yan et al, 2011), this rare case of PD in another primate species provides solid evidence that monkeys are ideal candidates for the development of a genuine “animal version of PD”, with conserved etiology and pathogenesis (Li et al, 2020). Furthermore, it allows us to compare similarities and differences in PD development between species and to understand PD pathogenesis from an evolutionary point of view.