In short
Zhittya marked four years of Parkinson's research. More than 250 people with Parkinson's had been dosed in its studies by this point.
May's update said it now reaches more than 150,000 readers, and the chief executive used the issue to explain Zhittya's work to newer ones.
The idea behind the research
The chief executive cited reported figures that 65% of adult deaths worldwide are caused by insufficient blood flow to a tissue or organ, with 14% tied to blood flow in the brain.
His view, stated as a belief, is that many conditions with different names share that one underlying problem, and that this is where FGF-1 research is aimed.
The update recalled that FGF-1 was discovered at Washington University in St. Louis in the mid-1980s, more than 40 years ago. Thousands of medical and scientific papers have been written about it since. The update said those papers describe a role for FGF-1 in new blood vessel growth, blood vessel repair and the health of brain cells.
Where the Parkinson's work stood
The update said more than 250 people with Parkinson's had been dosed, and it described the results in very positive terms. It also pointed to a video record of one participant's walking and coordination, filmed over about two and a half years.
May marked four years since the first two volunteers with Parkinson's received FGF-1 in May 2022. Looking back, the chief executive wrote that everything had taken longer, cost more and been more exhausting than he had expected.
How the team chooses what to study
The update said Zhittya has far more possible research areas in front of it than it can take on. The team gives priority to those where it already has three things: animal data, human data and results on how well FGF-1 was tolerated. Brain vascular disorders, meaning conditions that involve blood vessels in the brain, are among them.
Using another research area as an example, the update quoted an online search result. It said that despite promising results in animal and laboratory studies, significant hurdles remain before FGF-1 could come into standard use in people.
The update also gave a short history of how medical research studies are governed. It mentioned the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki, an international code for conducting medical research studies that most universities in the United States follow.
A new paper and participant comments
A new scientific consultant in neurology, an expert in brain trauma, wrote a white paper on post-concussion syndrome. The update said the condition affects more than 2 million people a year and that the paper would be available soon.
The update shared four messages from participants and family members. They covered remarks made by participants' own doctors at check-ups, changes in speech, and how one participant felt after a second dose.
The brain imaging study at Washington University in St. Louis was continuing.
This summary covers the Parkinson's research in the May 2026 update. The complete update, including the other topics it covered, is below.
Read the complete May 2026 update as published
The text of the update Zhittya sent, word for word. Pictures, charts and layout are in the PDF. Open the PDF.