8 Fox Focus | Research
Landmark Study Looks Ahead to New Partners and Future Breakthroughs
Our flagship study , the Parkinson ’ s Progression Markers Initiative ( PPMI ), has left an indelible mark on what scientists know about Parkinson ’ s disease and how research is done . Now the 1,400-participant study is preparing for a seismic expansion in 2021 : nearly tripling enrollment to 4,000 volunteers . A larger , more inclusive study population will add to the wealth of insights and vital data that flows from PPMI directly into today ’ s Parkinson ’ s drug development arena and sets the table for future breakthroughs .
“ PPMI is already a cornerstone of Parkinson ’ s research , seeding new findings about the disease and offering resources for greater discovery ,” says MJFF Deputy CEO Sohini Chowdhury . “ This expansion exponentially grows the set of information and materials that scientists can analyze to better understand how Parkinson ’ s starts and progresses , and how we may stop it .”
The study has already started recruiting new volunteers and in 2021 will open the gates for many more to stand up and contribute to a
future without Parkinson ’ s disease . Seventeen more centers are also joining , bringing site partners to 50 in 12 countries .
Vital to our ultimate goal of stopping Parkinson ’ s before it starts are volunteers at risk for the disease . PPMI aims to enroll 2,000 people with risk factors — certain genetic mutations , family history of Parkinson ’ s or some clinical symptoms — to understand Parkinson ’ s at its earliest stages and develop and test interventions to stop it before issues arise . As more potential therapies reach human testing , PPMI is flexing to rapidly build the knowledge and infrastructure to test prevention strategies .
The study needs more people recently diagnosed with Parkinson ’ s and control volunteers as well to better understand the variability of the disease and look for measurable differences from normal aging . PPMI collects data and biospecimens at scale and applies consistent , rigorous protocols across the entire spectrum of Parkinson ’ s to help define the disease and its subtypes once and for all .