Ā鶹“«Ć½ part of bid to cure Parkinson's We areĀ taking part in the biggest in-depth study tracking people with Parkinson's ever mounted anywhere in the world. The charity Parkinson's UK is investing over £1.6 million into the research study to unlock further secrets about the condition and to boost the chances of finding a cure. More than 3,000 volunteers are needed - both people diagnosed with Parkinsonās in the last three years, and aged under 50 at diagnosis, and their brothers and sisters - to take part in its ground-breaking āTracking Parkinsonāsā clinical study. Ā鶹“«Ć½ās Clinical Ageing Research Unit working with Ā鶹“«Ć½ Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the key centres taking part. Research in Ā鶹“«Ć½ is being led by Professor David Burn, Professor of Movement Disorder Neurology. Professor Burn said: "Finding a cure for Parkinsonās is what every researcher in the field dreams about. Tracking Parkinsonās is a major new research project and we are very excited to be involved right at the beginning. This study really offers hope for the future for people with Parkinsonās and we need around 150 people in Ā鶹“«Ć½ and the North East to volunteer to help us make our vision of a cure a reality."āTracking Parkinsonāsā primary aim is to identify elusive biomarkers for Parkinsonās such as signpost indicators in the blood, for example, that could help develop simple tests, like blood tests, for use as diagnostic tools. Despite the best efforts of researchers worldwide no biomarkers have yet been identified for Parkinsonās. An early diagnosis is crucial if doctors are to be able to prescribe the right drugs for people with Parkinsonās to control ā and one day, hopefully, even cure - their condition. The responses of people with Parkinsonās to treatments for distressing symptoms like tremors, movement problems, anxiety, memory lapses and digestion problems will be closely monitored for up to five years.Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research and Innovation at Parkinsonās UK said: āStudies like āTracking Parkinsonāsā could make a huge difference and help us to ultimately find a cure. Identifying biomarkers is key and would revolutionise the diagnosis and management of Parkinsonās. Finding a cure for Parkinsonās is like building a gigantic jigsaw, but we still have a number of the pieces missing. This vital new study will help us fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge.āWe hope āTracking Parkinsonāsā will also help us to identify people who have a greater risk of developing Parkinsonās and we can monitor them more accurately.āA cure, in this instance, would mean stopping the devastating symptoms of Parkinsonās including tremors, mood changes, movement difficulties, loss of smell and speech problems.Dr Donald Grosset at Glasgow University, who is leading the āTracking Parkinsonāsā study, said: āThe cure for Parkinsonās is a global challenge and all the samples gathered from our thousands of volunteers will be available for analysis by researchers the world over. This, in itself, will speed up our ultimate goal ā to develop a cure for Parkinsonās. I am very excited to be leading this cutting edge research collaborating with top researchers from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.āTo qualify as a volunteer for āTracking Parkinsonāsā at one of the UK centres, people need to have been diagnosed under the age of 50 or have been diagnosed with Parkinsonās within the last three years (from the date they register for the study). Brothers or sisters of either set of participants are also invited to take part.To find out more about how to take part in Tracking Parkinsonās call the helpline on 0808 800 0303, or visit for full details. published on: 16 April 2012
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