PPMI | Page 17

Dear PPMI Participant, I am a basic scientist in whose laboratory a molecule was discovered that is currently being studied in a PD clinical trial. In the long process of therapeutic development, my team and I did the easy part. The hard part is in the translational and clinical studies that define how to effectively and safely use the molecule we discovered, and to determine if it truly modifies the course of the disease and improves the quality of life of PD patients. Clinicians and scientists cannot accomplish these latter objectives without the active collaboration of PD patients and, in the case of PPMI, individuals who provide the critical basis of comparison. PPMI is a landmark study that will facilitate the difficult process of therapeutic development. Being a participant in a study such as PPMI is hard. I appreciate this from personal experience, as I have been a research participant in a similar study (developing biomarkers for prostate cancer). I have experienced the inconvenience, the hassle and the discomfort that being a participant in a longitudinal study entails. I have the privilege of serving as the Chair of the Biospecimen Review Committee of PPMI. Our committee reviews applications from scientists to gain access to the biospecimens (blood, CSF, etc.) that you generously provide at your PPMI visits. We take this responsibility very seriously and work hard to make sure, by many criteria, that these samples are used in a way that is highly likely to provide information that will advance the mission of PPMI. I want to personally thank every PPMI participant for what you have done and will do in this noble effort. Sincerely, Gene Johnson, PhD Professor, Washington University School of Medicine Chief Scientific Advisor, MJFF Scientific Advisory Board Chair, PPMI Biospecimen Review Committee 13