Research
RESEARCH NEWS BRIEFS
Fall / Winter 2016
Parkinson’ s Research Leaders Outline Roadmap to Personalized Medicine
In the August issue of the journal Personalized Medicine, leaders from the Foundation and our founding scientific advisor J. William Langston, MD, laid out a plan to move Parkinson’ s treatment closer to what’ s seen for cancer: therapy tailored to one’ s own biology. We may be able to advance so-called personalized medicine faster if more studies and trials shared data for other scientists to make discoveries and replicate findings, the authors wrote. Read the other tenets of their roadmap at michaeljfox. org / personalizedmed.
Fox Trial Finder Adds Atypical Parkinsonism Studies
This summer, The Michael J. Fox Foundation expanded Fox Trial Finder, our online clinical trial matching tool, to include studies on neurodegenerative atypical parkinsonisms. These conditions— corticobasal degeneration, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy— have many of the same symptoms as Parkinson’ s. Studying atypical parkinsonisms will not only deepen understanding of these specific diseases, but also could potentially advance research toward finding diagnostic biomarkers and improved therapies for PD. Learn more at foxtrialfinder. org / atypical.
Alaska and Louisiana Expand Telemedicine Services
This summer, the governors of Alaska and Louisiana signed legislation that expands telemedicine— the remote delivery of health care services using technology, such as seeing a doctor through a webcam or speaking with them over the phone. This approach has the potential to expand health services to people with Parkinson’ s who have limited mobility or restricted access to a movement disorder specialist. Parkinson’ s patients organized to support both bills earlier in 2016. Learn more about the Foundation’ s policy work at michaeljfox. org / policy.
7 Fall / Winter 2016