2025 was one of our most exciting years yet for Parkinson’s research. We saw the launch of EJS ACT-PD, the world’s largest clinical trial for Parkinson’s, the start of recruitment for the phase 3 trial of ambroxol, the forging of new strategic partnerships, and much more. Now, we’re looking back at some of the developments that defined 2025 and seeing what may be in store in 2026.
Read on to see all of the updates below:
2025 updates from Cure Parkinson’s supported clinical trials
- Launch of EJS ACT-PD
- ASPro-PD opened to recruitment
- Publication of AZA-PD results
Major research funding initiatives and partnerships in 2025
- Our updated research strategy
- £2 million combination therapy funding call
- Partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK
What to expect from Cure Parkinson’s funded research in 2026
- Recruitment for DAPA-PD
- Launch of SLEIPNIR
- Trial results
- World Parkinson Congress
- Quarterly webinars and biannual research update meetings
- Research takeaways from 2025 with Dr Simon Stott and No Silver Bullet
2025 updates from Cure Parkinson’s supported clinical trials
Launch of EJS ACT-PD
In October, Cure Parkinson’s announced the launch of the UK’s first multi-arm, multi-stage (MAMS) clinical trial platform for Parkinson’s: the Edmond J. Safra Accelerating Clinical Trials for Parkinson’s Disease (EJS ACT-PD) trial.
EJS ACT-PD, led by Professor Tom Foltynie from University College London and Professor Camille Carroll from Newcastle University, marks the world’s largest clinical trial for Parkinson’s and will evaluate several potentially disease-modifying treatments in parallel against a shared placebo (dummy drug) group.
The first phase of the trial will involve 1,600 people living with Parkinson’s in the UK, representing the largest opportunity to take part in clinical research to date, and significantly accelerating the search for disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson’s.
ASPro-PD opened to recruitment
In February, the first of fifteen potential sites for the Ambroxol to Slow Progression in Parkinson’s (ASPro-PD) clinical trial opened for recruitment. This UK-wide, phase 3 clinical trial will evaluate whether the cough medicine ambroxol slows Parkinson’s progression. Ambroxol works by increasing the activity of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase, or GCase, which helps cells clear excess waste – a common problem in the neurons of people with Parkinson’s.
ASPro-PD will involve 330 people with Parkinson’s, who will take either ambroxol or a placebo for two years. Half of the participants will be carriers of a GBA1 genetic variation – the gene that provides the instructions for building GCase. Recruitment will continue until 2027, and Cure Parkinson’s is looking forward to tracking the progress of this important study.
Publication of AZA-PD results
Dr Caroline Williams-Gray at the University of Cambridge led a phase 2 clinical trial of azathioprine (AZA-PD), an immunosuppressant medication. The aim of this trial was to assess whether azathioprine could slow Parkinson’s progression. This study concluded in early 2025, and the full results were published in December in the journal Lancet Neurology.
Unfortunately, the trial did not meet its primary outcome, showing no significant benefit of azathioprine compared with placebo. However, there were some exploratory findings suggesting that treatment response and changes in markers of inflammation were stronger in women. Cure Parkinson’s will be publishing a web story about the AZA-PD results soon, which will present these findings in greater detail.
Major research funding initiatives and partnerships from 2025
Our updated research strategy
Every few years, Cure Parkinson’s reviews and updates our research strategy, which underpins and guides everything we do. In November 2025, we published our refreshed strategy, which identifies four key objectives to accelerate progress toward slowing, stopping, or reversing Parkinson’s. This roadmap will guide our research priorities in the years ahead.
£2 million combination therapy funding call
A key aim of our updated research strategy is to support the development of combination therapies – treatments that involve two or more active agents in the hopes of achieving a stronger, disease-modifying effect. In October 2025, Cure Parkinson’s launched a dedicated £2 million funding call to test rationally-designed combination therapies with the potential to slow Parkinson’s progression. We were pleased to have received many promising applications for both preclinical and clinical studies, and we hope to provide an update in the first half of 2026.
Partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK
2025 also unveiled an exciting new partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK), the leading dementia research charity in the UK. This collaboration builds on the overlap of underlying biological mechanisms and in the potential for certain treatments to offer therapeutic benefits for both Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and other related dementias.
The partnership is also an extension to Cure Parkinson’s International Linked Clinical Trials (iLCT) programme, delivered in collaboration with Van Andel Institute (VAI), Michigan. iLCT has a proven track record in advancing promising therapies into clinical trials and we hope that by joining forces with ARUK, we will be able to share research findings, expertise and resources to accelerate drug development for both conditions.
What to expect from Cure Parkinson’s funded research in 2026
Recruitment for DAPA-PD
In early 2026, participant recruitment is expected to begin for the phase 2 trial of dapansutrile, DAPA-PD, funded by Cure Parkinson’s in partnership with VAI. Dapansutrile is an anti-inflammatory drug developed by Olatec Therapeutics and researchers hope that by reducing brain inflammation, dapansutrile may slow the progression of Parkinson’s.
Led by Dr Caroline Williams-Gray at the University of Cambridge, this 12-month study will involve 36 people with Parkinson’s and aims to assess if dapansutrile is safe and well tolerated. The team hope to use these results to determine whether dapansutrile should be evaluated in a larger phase 3 study.
Launch of SLEIPNIR
In 2025, Cure Parkinson’s announced funding for an innovative clinical trial platform called SLEIPNIR, which is set to begin recruitment in 2026. Named after the Norse god Odin’s eight-legged horse, SLEIPNIR is a multi-arm clinical trial that will conduct rapid, short-term studies to assess whether potentially disease-modifying Parkinson’s drugs reach the brain, interact with their intended biological targets, and are safe and tolerable. By gathering this evidence early, we can ensure we are selecting the most promising agents to progress into larger, later-stage clinical trials.
Led by Professor Charalampos Tzoulis at Haukeland University Hospital and the University of Bergen, Norway, SLEIPNIR will test up to three potentially disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson’s simultaneously against one placebo group. The team hope to begin recruitment in early 2026.
More to look out for in 2026
Trial results
Several important Parkinson’s clinical trials are expected to report results in 2026. For example, the phase 3 NOPARK trial of nicotinamide riboside, a vitamin B3 supplement, concluded in 2025. The trial involved 400 people with Parkinson’s taking either the supplement or a placebo for 52 weeks. This trial aimed to determine whether nicotinamide riboside could improve energy production in the brain and slow Parkinson’s progression. Nicotinamide riboside was previously evaluated by the iLCT committee in 2017, and results from this trial are expected in early 2026.
Later in 2026, results from the phase 2 LUMA study are expected to be published. This trial evaluated whether a LRRK2 inhibitor, developed by Denali and Biogen, may be beneficial in the treatment of Parkinson’s. LRRK2 is a protein that becomes hyperactive in some people with Parkinson’s, and this increased level of activity is thought to be involved in the progression of their condition. Researchers are testing whether reducing the activity of this protein may be able to slow or stop the progression of Parkinson’s.
World Parkinson Congress
In 2026, the 7th World Parkinson Congress (WPC) will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, USA on 24-27 May. WPC is an inclusive, international Parkinson’s meeting that draws in people with Parkinson’s and researchers from around the globe. Representatives from Cure Parkinson’s will also be attending, and we look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible.
Quarterly webinars and biannual research update meetings
In 2026, we will continue hosting our regular public research events. Our next Research Update Meeting will be held on Monday 20 April at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. We will also resume our Parkinson’s webinar series, in collaboration with the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease and the University of Edinburgh, on Wednesday 28 January at 5pm. This time, our panel will discuss young onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD).
Research takeaways from 2025 with Dr Simon Stott and No Silver Bullet
Our Director of Research, Dr Simon Stott, will again be featured on a No Silver Bullet webinar on Monday 12 January, discussing Parkinson’s research takeaways for 2025 and what to look out for in 2026.
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