Webinar: Innovations in gene therapies for Parkinson’s

Held in partnership with the University of Edinburgh and the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, with Edinburgh University’s Professor Tilo Kunath as chair.

The next in our one hour quarterly webinar series will discuss the latest research news regarding the development of gene therapies, with emphasis on neurotrophic or nerve growth factors, for Parkinson’s. Professor Tilo Kunath will be joined by an expert panel to discuss recent advances in this field, the challenges associated with these therapies, and what ways researchers are currently exploring to overcome this.

The recording for this webinar is now available:

Meet our panelists

Professor Aideen Sullivan, BSc, PhD, is Chair of Pharmacology in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in the School of Medicine at University College Cork, Ireland. Prof Sullivan is also the Director of the UCC Futures: Ageing & Brain Sciences research programme. Her research interests include the development of neuroprotective therapies for Parkinson’s, including her ongoing work investigating two neurotrophic factors: GDNF and GDF5.

Dr Melanie Brandabur, MD, is a neurologist and Vice President of Clinical Development at Capsida Biotherapeutics. Dr Brandabur specializes in the treatment of movement disorders and has been actively involved in clinical research and drug development for over two decades. At Capsida, she works on the development of gene therapies for Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions which can be delivered intravenously (via an IV).

Tom Phipps is a Parkinson’s research advocate. Tom was the first participant in the Bristol GDNF trial, which involved 41 people with Parkinson’s receiving monthly infusions of the neurotrophic factor GDNF. Since the trial, Tom has shared his experiences, including participating in the LEARN-GDNF study: an initiative to inform future protocols and create resources for people with Parkinson’s participating in clinical trials.