The Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh have joined forces to help deliver new treatments for people with Parkinson's and accelerate access to clinical trials. People with Parkinson’s urgently need new treatments that will slow, stop and ultimately reverse the condition. The Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh are part of a global community of researchers working towards this goal and have joined forces to help deliver new treatments and accelerate access to clinical trials. There have been major advances in our understanding of Parkinson’s in recent years, including the identification of distinct disease subtypes. The Dundee and Edinburgh Parkinson’s Research Initiative is further developing this knowledge and using these discoveries to develop new medicines and design better drugs trials. The partnership brings together doctors and scientists who have world-class knowledge and expertise in Parkinson’s, clinical trials and related fields. Preparing for trials The key aspect of this initiative is to invite everyone with Parkinson’s in South East Scotland to join an innovative research database. This activity will capture a wealth of information including demographics, lifestyle, environment, disease symptoms and medications. For the first time in the UK, we can also offer NHS-accredited genetic screening of Parkinson’s-associated genes. All of this data will give a rich picture of each individual and their Parkinson’s subtype. Working with collaborators in the UK and across the world, this resource will help researchers to identify the factors that influence Parkinson’s progression. Crucially, it will also enable tailored recruitment of individuals to research studies and clinical trials that are most suitable for them. Once the project has been developed and piloted in Lothian and Tayside, our ambition is to expand to other Scottish centres. Donate If you would like to donate to the Dundee and Edinburgh Parkinson's Initiative, please follow the following links to the University of Edinburgh donation pages. Make a single donation Set-up a regular gift All donations are processed through the University of Edinburgh Development Trust before going directly to the Parkinson's Research Initiative. For any donation enquiries, please contact leisa.thomas@ed.ac.uk or call 0131 651 4403. This article was published on 2024-08-27
