Fox Focus I PPMI Special Edition 15 treatments ,” says Dr . Warren Hirst , Senior Director of the Neurodegeneration Research Unit at Biogen in Cambridge , Massachusetts .
In addition to companies like Denali and Biogen , which have invested in Parkinson ’ s therapeutic development for years , PPMI is useful for industry partners breaking into Parkinson ’ s , like U . K . -based company 4D pharma , which joined PPMI ’ s efforts in December 2020 .
“ PPMI provides access to critical data and information that could help us advance therapies from the bench to the bedside ,” said Louise Markinson , program development director at 4D pharma . “ The fact that PPMI enables a non-competitive environment with the scientific and industry community coming together to support Parkinson ’ s research really resonates with our values as a company . And PPMI brings a level of scientific credibility and expertise — especially around biomarkers — that ’ s very important to our work .”
4D pharma is building understanding around the gut-brain axis , an area of significant interest in Parkinson ’ s research . The company is leading science in Live Biotherapeutics , a new class of medicines containing live organisms , such as bacteria , that could change the way diseases are treated . “ We have data showing Live Biotherapeutics are safe and effective in pre-clinical models of Parkinson ’ s disease , and we ’ re using PPMI data and expertise , especially in biomarkers , to help design our first clinical study in people with Parkinson ’ s in 2022 ,” said Markinson .
“ It is only with diverse expertise on the various aspects of this complex disease that we will better understand it and find solutions for patients ,” said Chowdhury .