Cure Parkinson's

ASAP (Aligning Science Across Parkinson's) has announced that it is now accepting Letters of Intent (LOIs) for collaborative teams to join the Collaborative Research Network (CRN) 2025 Scientific Track. This call is centered around dissecting the mechanisms that can contribute to Parkinson's disease heterogeneity, offering funding of up to $3 million per year over three years. Funded teams will conduct research within the following areas of focus: - Examining PD in the context of aging - Understanding how co-pathologies can influence PD pathogenesis and progression - The role of known environmental risk factors in contributing to disease pathogenesis - Understanding the circuit biology driving clinical symptom presentation (with an emphasis on non-motor symptoms) - The role of clearance mechanisms in PD - Identification of factors influencing seeding in the alpha-synuclein Apply for funding here: https://buff.ly/4hefmvO

7 months into my sabbatical year I had some news I wasn’t expecting. The short story is that I have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. It’s strange as I don’t feel ill, my symptoms are currently quite light and I don’t need any meds yet, so I consider myself fortunate. I also have amazing friends & family around me. There is a huge amount of research going on & to support it I am planning a fund raising trip to raise money for an important charity (see link below). For the longer version please read on…   I had had some symptoms over the past few years which individually hadn’t triggered concern. My sense of smell deteriorated after Covid in 2020. My handwriting was very messy doing Christmas cards back in 2021. A sports injury triggered a frozen shoulder in 2022 and finally, I noticed an irregular tremor in my right hand in my final work years. Then in mid 2023, my wife Katy noticed my right arm wasn’t swinging naturally while walking the dog. She googled exercises and the first thing that came up was Parkinson’s. Naturally this alarmed her so she carefully broached the topic with me. At this point I hadn’t joined up the dots with the other symptoms, which resulted in my GP referring me to a physio. I did enquire about Parkinson’s but they were convinced this was not the case, so I put it to bed for a while. However, the arm swing didn’t return, so in mid 2024 I saw a consultant neurologist who was very thorough and had strong suspicions, so requested an MRI & DaTscan, which confirmed our worst fears that I did indeed have Parkinson’s disease.   The positive news is that my symptoms haven’t really changed much and I am not on any meds yet as my symptoms are not particularly impacting my life. I consider myself lucky and I plan to do all I can to keep these symptoms at bay. According to the latest research, exercise is one of the best things I can do (along with eating & drinking healthily), so my fitness regime has stepped up considerably (embracing Boxercise & Tai Chi). I am so lucky to have had the career I had which has put me in the position to retire at this age allowing me to focus on this new challenge.    There is lots of great research going on to find new treatments & get a better understanding of this disease. In terms of fund raising, I am supporting Cure Parkinson’s who are striving to find treatments that change the way the disease progresses & transform the lives of everyone living with this disease. In May, 16 friends & family are joining me for “4 P’s for Parkinson’s” challenge, where we will be cycling & walking to raise funds for this important charity (if you are interested in finding out more, please see below). As always, I am happy to hear from you, but in the meantime I wish you health & happiness, and a peaceful 2025. https://lnkd.in/egjpbSgS

We can’t wait to see what our incredible fundraisers will do in 2025, but first let’s take a look at what some of our #FundraisingHeroes got up to in the final months of 2024… Find out more at: https://buff.ly/4j5NMCO #CureParkinsons #ParkinsonsTogether #Parkinsons #CureParkinsonsFundraisingHeroes

Don’t forget to register your place for ‘Advancing Parkinson’s trial designs’, the latest in our quarterly webinar series, on 29 January at 5.00pm GMT. The panel will discuss how multi-arm, multi-stage (MAMS) clinical trial platforms are being used to enable the testing of multiple therapies simultaneously. Reserve your space: https://buff.ly/3BMX7Pf

Ed FitzGerald thank you so much for taking on this incredible challenge. We are all looking forward to cheering you every step of the way Cure Parkinson's

Cure Parkinson's can’t wait for this session. Simon Stott No Silver Bullet 4PD

Want a preview of what’s coming up for our research team in 2025? 🔬 Explore our roundup of Cure Parkinson’s 2024 research highlights, whether it was the publication of the phase 2 clinical trial of lixisenatide or funding of new pre-clinical projects and look ahead at what to expect this year. Find out more: https://buff.ly/3W7ealS #CureParkinsons #FundParkinsons #ParkinsonsResearch

Happy New Year 🎆 Your generous support has helped fund our vital research seeking to slow the progression of Parkinson’s. Stay tuned for further updates and fundraising opportunities for 2025!

A very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all our amazing supporters! Thank you so much for your incredible support throughout 2024 - because of you, we’ve been able to continue our vital work to find a cure for Parkinson’s. Please note that our office will be closed for the Christmas period from 25 December and will reopen on Thursday 2 January.  We hope you have a wonderful festive season! 🎄❄️

Secure your place for ‘Advancing Parkinson’s trial designs’, the latest in our quarterly webinar series, taking place 29 January at 5.00pm GMT. The panel will discuss how multi-arm, multi-stage (MAMS) clinical trial platforms are being used to enable the testing of multiple therapies simultaneously. Register now: https://buff.ly/3VHCMkQ