4 PPMIonline . org
PPMI Is Changing How We Think about Brain Disease
The Michael J . Fox Foundation launched PPMI in 2010 to better understand Parkinson ’ s and advance new treatments . Since then , the study has changed how research is done and what scientists know about the brain . It is a cornerstone of our understanding of disease and has heavily influenced clinical trials .
PPMI follows people — with and without Parkinson ’ s — over time to learn more about how disease starts and changes . That information may lead to insights and tools that can help better diagnose , treat and even prevent brain disease . The study shares its data set — the most robust in Parkinson ’ s research — with scientists to speed breakthroughs .
Once again , PPMI is growing to meet the future — one with preventive treatments that mean no one will ever develop symptoms of Parkinson ’ s disease . Study sponsors are looking for strategies to stop disease in its earliest stages , even before the hallmark tremor and stiffness appear .
That effort will help the study grow from its current 1,400 volunteers to 4,000 participants contributing data and samples at over 50 sites around the world . More than half of the 4,000 site volunteers will carry risk factors for
Parkinson ’ s , building data on disease triggers and predictive signals . That information is invaluable to drug developers moving toward preventive treatments .
Since its earliest days , PPMI has been ahead of its time — providing the scientific community with not only what it needs today but also the tools for tomorrow ’ s progress . Before the study ’ s launch in 2010 , The Michael J . Fox Foundation and partners saw growing momentum around trials testing therapies to slow or stop disease . Systematically collecting and sharing robust data and biological samples from people recently diagnosed with Parkinson ’ s and control volunteers , PPMI built a foundation for those studies , now at more than two dozen .
A few years later the study began recruiting people with certain genetic mutations linked to Parkinson ’ s disease . More therapies targeting these genetic pathways were close to clinical testing .
Today ’ s trials are possible because of PPMI . Study sponsors look to the landmark initiative for data on who to recruit , how many people to enroll and how to measure therapeutic impact ( see page 14 ). An unprecedented number of treatments are marching into and through human testing , closer to patient hands , with confidence and resources provided by PPMI .