20 years of Cure Parkinson’s

We’re here for the cure!

This year marks 20 years since Cure Parkinson’s was founded by four people living with Parkinson’s who felt that nobody was taking a cure seriously enough and that there was an urgent need for a focused approach to curative research for Parkinson’s.

Whilst we are not there yet, we have made significant progress towards our mission. The research landscape has changed significantly; our understanding of the biology of the condition has evolved, enabling us to match treatments to that biology with the potential to slow, stop and reverse Parkinson’s.

“The word ‘cure’ was never used… cure was seen as a false hope – and actually, if you don’t have hope, you don’t have anything. Back then we needed something focused on the research not just on the care… and it needed to be more energetic, more feisty! This is me – this is us! Together we can find the cure.”

The late Tom Isaacs, Co-founder of Cure Parkinson’s

Back in 2005, trials of treatments that had the potential to slow, stop or reverse the progression of Parkinson’s were few and far between, but Cure Parkinson’s has helped change that. Over the last 20 years, Cure Parkinson’s has funded and facilitated millions of pounds of research, instigating scientific discoveries and opening new avenues of research. Our innovative approach has brought together the best minds in the world to share knowledge and instil urgency around finding treatments that do more than just mask the symptoms of the condition.

This year, the phase 3 clinical trial of ambroxol began – a simple cough medicine which has shown potential to slow the progression of Parkinson’s. In the spring of 2024, positive results were published from a phase 2 trial of lixisenatide, a GLP-1R agonist. This class of drugs is currently used to treat Type 2 diabetes, but may also slow the progression of movement symptoms in Parkinson’s. We are also helping bring to life a revolutionary new multi-arm, multi-stage clinical trials platform, which will allow the testing of multiple treatments at the same time and present an opportunity for thousands of people with Parkinson’s to take part.

Walk to cure Parkinson’s

In 2003, the late Tom Isaacs, who co-founded Cure Parkinson’s, walked the 4,500-mile coastline of Britain over the course of a year to raise funds for Parkinson’s research. This year, we hope that you will continue to support us and inspire others to do the same by joining us in taking on coastal and city walks to mark our 20^th year.