Current Research being Funded by The Cure Parkinson's Trust

 

Dr Roger Barker - Heterogeneity

It is now commonly held that there could be any number of causes of Parkinson’s Disease. Dr Roger Barker is an exciting new talent in the world of neurology who hopes to increase recognition of the full range and variety of symptoms which can be segregated into distinct sub types so that the disease can be treated in a more individual and targeted manner.  No two patients with Parkinson’s have the same symptoms and this programme of research will address this issue ensuring that patients are both treated according to the nature of their disease and will only enter clinical trials appropriate to them.

 

Dr Jon Brotchie – Novel therapies for Parkinson’s

A five year programme of dynamic research being undertaken by one of the most charismatic and brilliant Parkinson’s scientists:  Dr Jonathon Brotchie is confident of identifying several novel therapies for Parkinson’s from his superb state-of-the-art laboratories in Toronto. This project will pursue an ambitious and vigorous course of work to establish effective treatments which already have demonstrated efficacy in either models or Parkinson’s patients. The product of this work will tackle both the core Parkinson’s symptoms and also the side effects of taking existing medications.  Dr Brotchie has been carrying out the work on Cogane.

 

Click here for an update on this project

 

Dr David Dexter, Imperial College, London - Calcium

Dr Dexter project will investigate the role of voltage -gated calcium channels in neuronal susceptibility in Parkinson's. This is an 18 month study and will provide a fascinating insight into calcium's effect in Parkinsonian cells.

 

Dr Tom Foltynie, Queens Square London - Exendin Pilot Study

Exendin is an existing Type 2 diabetes treatment, which could potentially protect against the onset of Parkinson's possibly restoring normal function in dopamine cells. The trial has now commenced with the recruitment of patients at the Institute of Neurology, Queens Square. This area of research is proving to generate a rich source of possible new thinking about Parkinson's and plausible methods in which to treat it. For further information and details on how you can get involved please click here.

 

Professor Steven Gill - GDNF

Professor Steven Gill (Consultant Neurosurgeon, Frenchay Hospital) was the first to show the regeneration of neurones in the brain using the growth factor GDNF. In 2001, Professor Gill administered GDNF to five patients who experienced a reversal in their symptoms. Now Mr Gill is undertaking a programme of research to establish a far less invasive method of convection-enhanced delivery (CED) which potentially could open up GDNF and other exciting molecule and gene based therapies to everyone with Parkinson’s and could also have implications for other neurological conditions.

 

Israel – AS101

AS101 is an interesting compound which has the potential to protect and restore dopamine cells, which die off in the progression of Parkinson’s disease.  Aeon which is running the trials are investigating using AS101 to treat a number of illnesses including PD.

 

Professor Peter Jenner - Osteopontin

To investigate the role of integrin receptors in the substantia nigra in the maintenance and/or death of nigral dopaminergic neurons.  This is based on work from Peter Jenner and his team in which they have shown that  Osteopontin – a protein with neuroprotective effects may work through such a process.   This is an interesting area of research especially given the increasing literature on integrin receptors and their expression in CNS diseases such as MS.