Fox Focus I PPMI Special Edition 19
In Conversation with PPMI ’ s Principal Investigators
Ken Marek , MD , is president and senior scientist at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders in New Haven , Connecticut . As Principal Investigator of PPMI since 2010 , Dr . Marek has dedicated his career to the pursuit of slowing , stopping or preventing Parkinson ’ s .
What makes PPMI different than other studies ? KEN : Researchers don ’ t usually get opportunities like this to collaborate with a broad , committed group of fellow researchers and research participants who are willing to be part of this project for years — all in the service of gathering the information that we need to combat Parkinson ’ s disease .
How is PPMI data used to speed Parkinson ’ s research ? CARLIE : The data are de-identified and shared almost in real time . Any researcher around the world who has an important idea can use this information to move science forward . Everyone is working together for this one goal , which is to better understand disease progression and prevent the onset of Parkinson ’ s .
Caroline ( Carlie ) Tanner , MD , PhD , is professor of neurology at the University of California , San Francisco ( UCSF ). Dr . Tanner ’ s expertise and experience are driving this new era of online data collection in PPMI .
With the study expanding , what do researchers hope to learn ? KEN : We are going to be gathering information from thousands of individuals from diverse backgrounds who don ’ t have Parkinson ’ s — most of whom are never going to get the disease , but a few of whom might . And we want to understand what distinguishes those individuals so we can identify them at the earliest stages .
How will PPMI ’ s findings impact Parkinson ’ s care ? CARLIE : Today , we don ’ t have a blood test for Parkinson ’ s . But that might not be true in five years or 10 years . Combining the people who volunteer and participate in our studies with the advances in technology , I think we are rapidly approaching that moment .