Taking part in research is vital to determine which therapies work in treating Parkinson’s. New treatments will only become available after they have been tested in those volunteers affected by the condition.

Taking part in research also enables more accurate diagnoses, better predictions of future disease progression and more insight into the biology of the condition.

Taking part comes in many forms

  • Online Surveys where the data is made available to researchers
  • Observational studies
  • Studies looking at genetic risk factors: these can be clinical or online
  • Trials of new technology: wearables, apps, devices or even imaging techniques
  • Clinical trials of therapies
  • Clinical trials of disease-modifying therapies

Things to think about when signing up to a study

  • Who might I need around me to support me in making the decision and in taking part?
  • Where is the study based and does the schedule of visits suit me? Who is involved from the study team? How long is it? Will I get my result and when will that be?
  • Are there any assessments or procedures included where I might need more information?
  • What happens to my data?
  • Have people with Parkinson’s been involved in shaping this study?

Cure Parkinson’s funds and supports clinical trials which seek to slow, stop or reverse Parkinson’s. Many trials which are recruiting now are part of our International Linked Clinical Trials (iLCT) programme developed in partnership with Van Andel Institute.

Find Out More About…
Our approach The science behind Parkinson’s Curing Parkinson’s The International Linked Clinical Trials Programme (iLCT)

International Linked Clinical Trials (iLCT) recruiting now

Find iLCT trials recruiting now

Other studies recruiting

The Predict-PD Study – an online study

PREDICT-PD is a ground-breaking project using simple tests to identify people at high risk of Parkinson’s disease before the symptoms appear. If we can predict who is going to get Parkinson’s, we will soon have treatments for those in the early stages that could slow or prevent the condition progressing.

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PD Frontline – an online study

If you are a person with Parkinson’s and you would like to be genotyped to determine whether you are a carrier of a mutation in the genes associated with Parkinson’s, for example the GBA gene and the LRRK2 gene, you may be eligible to participate in certain research studies or clinical trials.

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PD Nexus – an online study

PD Nexus is supporting research efforts for Parkinson’s through remote participant screening, genetic testing and counselling, education in Parkinson’s disease genetics, travel coordination, digital applications, study adherence, tissue procurement and distribution, and more.

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Online survey on the treatment of low blood pressure in Parkinson’s

This international project is to improve our understanding of the treatment of low blood pressure in people with Parkinson’s; what degree of symptoms of low blood pressure may prompt specific treatment. The online survey is anonymous and it takes about 5 minutes to complete. People with Parkinson’s can take part, whether they have symptoms of low blood pressure or not. The project is sponsored by UCL.

Complete the survey
QMAP-PD

QMAP-PD is an ongoing study using advanced brain imaging techniques based at the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL. The aim of this work is to better understand the causes of variability between individuals with a common disorder called Parkinson’s disease

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CHIEF-PD Trial

The Cholinesterase Inhibitors to Prevent Falls in Parkinson’s Trial (CHIEF-PD) is a medical research trial that is examining whether drugs normally used to treat people with memory problems can also be used to reduce the number of falls that people with Parkinson’s experience. If you have fallen in the past year because of your symptoms, you could be eligible to take part in this study.

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Understanding depression in Parkinson’s

Dr Harry Costello, a Neuropsychiatrist and Clinical Research Fellow at University College London, is interested in identifying the role of the brain chemical dopamine in depression in Parkinson’s and understanding how depression in Parkinson’s differs from that of the general population. This research could help pave the way for new approaches to treat depression in Parkinson’s.

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Other research study websites which might be of interest:

Fox Trial Finder

Fox Trial Finder is a user-friendly online matching tool from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) which helps you find observational studies and clinical trials in your area.

Find out more.

Fox Insight

Fox Insight is an online clinical study building a large, diverse cohort of people with Parkinson’s and age-matched control volunteers to provide the research community with critical insight into the lived experience, genetics and variability of Parkinson’s.

Find out more.

The Hope List

The Hope List collates information about projects to develop new therapies for PD.
There are two groups, research and clinical.
The research projects are broken down by phase (discovery and pre-clinical); whether the potential therapy is aimed at modifying the course of the disease (DMT) or to relieve symptoms (ST); and the type of therapy.

Find out more.

ClinicalTrials.gov

ClinicalTrials.gov is a database of privately and publicly funded clinical studies conducted around the world.

Find out more.

PDTrialTracker.Info

The goal of PDTrialTracker.info is to provide Parkinson’s patients, families, researchers, health care providers, and other interested members of the PD community with analysis of ongoing PD clinical trials and observational studies throughout the world in order to:

  • understand the types of trials underway and where they are in the pipeline,
  • highlight the most promising avenues of research (e.g., particular disease modifying therapies, symptomatic treatments)
  • uncover roadblocks in the trial process and ways to address them (e.g., improving recruitment methods, enhancing clinical trial best practices),
  • promote accurate and timely sharing of trial information for ongoing and completed trials (e.g., within ClinicalTrials.gov),
  • facilitate greater collaboration between Parkinson’s patients, families, researchers, and physicians to accelerate progress towards a cure.

Find out more.

Parkinson’s UK

If you are in the UK you can visit the Parkinson’s UK website for help with finding research studies recruiting.

Find out more.

The NIHR – Be Part of Research Campaign

If you are in the UK, ‘Be Part of Research’ can help you find out about health and social care research that is taking place across the UK.

Find out more.

Clinical Trials Charter

If you are thinking of volunteering for a clinical trial, the Clinical Trials Charter aims to set a standard of practice for those involved in clinical trials for Parkinson’s.

Find out more