Spring / Summer 2025 | Research 11
PPMI Expands Recruitment to Further Study Smell Loss in Parkinson’ s
The largest natural history study into Parkinson’ s is now enrolling people as young as 40.
Fifteen years ago, The Michael J. Fox Foundation launched the Parkinson’ s Progression Markers Initiative( PPMI). Since then, the landmark study has gathered information from more than 3,000 volunteers, and collaborated with research scientists and industry partners, in a search for markers to help in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of PD.
This year, PPMI expands to further our understanding of the role of smell loss and disease onset. In 2023, PPMI data led to the groundbreaking discovery of a tool to identify a telltale sign of the disease, misfolded alphasynuclein protein. That tool, a biomarker test called the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay( aSyn-SAA), led to additional key findings, including:
+ Many individuals 60 or older not yet diagnosed with clinical PD had a positive aSyn-SAA test.
+ There is a correlation between a positive aSyn-SAA test and severe smell loss.
The findings offer fresh clues about when and how Parkinson’ s develops. To learn more, PPMI is expanding to include people age 40 and older without PD and people over age 30 diagnosed within the last seven years.
“ The validation of the biomarker was a tremendous breakthrough, and it raised new questions that encouraged PPMI to study a wider range of people,” said Maggie Kuhl, vice president, patient engagement at MJFF.“ New PPMI enrollees and longtime participants will drive the next breakthrough.”
Your participation is crucial to advance our mission of finding a cure for Parkinson’ s disease. If you’ re 40 or older without PD or over 30 and have been diagnosed with PD in the last 7 years, visit mysmelltest. org / FoxFocus to request a smell test today.
myPPMI: A One-Stop Platform for Data and Return of Results
myPPMI is an easy-to-navigate online platform that allows research participants to track their involvement in various parts of PPMI as well as to access some of their personal research results.
The platform provides educational materials about the results so that people can make informed decisions about seeking care or their research participation. To create your own profile and join our study, visit myppmi. org.