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Parkinson’s Disease Research Centers

Research And Clinical Trials

Hype or Hope Exploring Research in Parkinson Disease

OHSU scientists have long been at the forefront of research into Parkinsons disease. Over the years, we have played a role in every major development in Parkinsons care. Our work includes:

Clinical trials: The OHSU Brain Institute offers clinical trials for patients with varying stages of Parkinsons disease. We have research happening across many sites, so if you qualify, you may not need to travel to Portland to take part.

Parkinsons disease: We are conducting research on psychological and physical aspects of Parkinsons, including:

  • How stress affects the progression of the disease.
  • Ways to slow the breakdown of dopamine, a brain chemical that plays a central role in Parkinsons.
  • The role of protein buildup, with the goal of developing and testing a new medication.

Balance Disorders Laboratory: Researchers in our Balance Disorders Laboratory are exploring the connection between motor signals and balance to develop rehabilitation approaches.

Improving deep brain stimulation devices: DBS uses open-loop devices, which deliver constant stimulation even if symptoms are absent. Were exploring a closed-loop device to provide stimulation only as needed.

Parkinsons Disease Research At The Ctrnd

At the CTRND, we are ideally positioned to research and to develop the next generation of novel therapies for Parkinsons disease and related disorders. We have close ties to the the neurology and neuroscience departments, as well as the Movement Disorders & Neurorestoration Program at the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health. Although drugs and therapies are the goal, critical work begins here in the lab and at the bench where researchers try to understand the pathological mechanisms of these devastating diseases. Here the key to these disorders will be found.

The CTRND aims to be at the forefront of Parkinsons research with a primary goal of understanding the contribution of genes and the environment to Parkinsons disease. A better understanding of these factors will hopefully lead to development of biomarkers to detect and to help tract disease progression and to the development of potential novel therapeutics.

Kirsty Dixon Phdassistant Professor Department Of Surgery Vcu School Of Medicine

Understanding the relationship between traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disease

Traumatic brain injury is a risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimers dementia and Parkinsons disease. Through this study, Dixon will take a closer look at how traumatic brain injury and neuroinflammation affect signaling pathways in the brain to exacerbate neurodegeneration. The pilot data collected will support a larger grant application with the ultimate goal of identifying ways to mitigate traumatic brain injury as a risk factor for the later development of neurodegenerative diseases.

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Lecture Explores Parkinsons Disease Research History

Serge Przedborski, M.D., Ph.D.

The 2017 Nebraska Neuroscience Alliance Distinguished Lecture will be delivered by Serge Przedborski, M.D., Ph.D., from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday in the Durham Research Center Auditorium, Room 1002.

Dr. Przedborski is the Page and William Black Professor of Neurology, director of the Columbia Translational Neuroscience Initiative and vice-chair for research in neurology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Dr. Przedborski is one of the most cited neuroscientists for his body of work on the molecular and cellular biology of Parkinsons disease. His lecture, titled Mitochondria and the Two-Century Journey of Parkinsons disease, highlights the strides made in research after James Parkinson described the disease complex in 1817.

The lecture celebrates this centennial milestone. It will focus on how alterations in glial and specifically mitochondrial dynamics provoke degeneration in specific neuronal subpopulations and lead to the devastating signs and symptoms of Parkinsons.

The lecture is open to faculty, staff, students and community members.

Apda Centers For Advanced Research

A " More Precise"  Precision Therapy for Parkinsons Disease

David G. Standaert, MD, PhD, Director

APDA funding supports:

  • Studies of neuroinflammation, protein aggregation and oxidative stress in PD as well as the role of the microbiome
  • Multiple clinical trials including those testing novel drugs, DBS techniques and exercise intervention
  • An active DBS program with approximately 150 procedures performed per year
  • Approximately 6,800 patient visits per year
  • Studies that probe the biology of PD-causing genetic mutations
  • A biomarker discovery program using specimens from more than 2,700 participants
  • A drug discovery program that utilizes technologies such as stem cells and big data analytics
  • Approximately 2,200 patients visits each year
  • Studies aimed at understanding the brain pathways involved in PD
  • Clinical trials investigating treatments for wearing off, hallucinations, low blood pressure, daytime sleepiness and dementia
  • An active DBS program and approximately 80-100 procedures performed per year
  • Approximately 14,000 patient visits per year

APDA funding supports:

  • Studies to identify potential PD biomarkers
  • Characterization of PD among various ethnic groups
  • Exercise intervention, wearable technology and attention training clinical trials
  • Approximately 4,000 patient visits per year
  • Studies of genetic and environmental risk factors of PD
  • Drug development for neuroprotection in PD
  • An active DBS program with 75-100 procedures performed yearly
  • Approximately 6,500 patient visits each year

J. Timothy Greenamyre, MD, PhD, Director

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The Morris K Udall Parkinson’s Disease Research Center Of Excellence

In 1998 Congress created the Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease Research . The primary goal of the Udall Centers is to develop new clinical treatments for Parkinson’s disease. However, it is well recognized that because there is so much that we do not yet understand about the causes of Parkinson’s disease, basic science is currently a key component of the overall effort to develop clinical treatments.

The Institute For Cell Engineering

The Institute for Cell Engineering , established in 2001, brings together top-level scientists in a range of disciplines who are advancing efforts in three highly promising areas: stem cell therapy, nerve regeneration, and immunotherapy. This tremendous resource, the first of its kind on an academic campus, offers an unprecedented opportunity to develop cures for neurological conditions from spinal cord injury to ALS .

#TomorrowsDiscoveries: Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders

Dr. Alexander Pantelyat and his team collect blood and spinal fluid for genetic and proteomic analyses by using novel brain imaging techniques to distinguish between types of Parkinsons-plus syndromes and participate in international trials for these devastating diseases.

Animal Study Adds To Evidence Of Parkinsons Disease Origins In The Gut

Researchers say they have found additional evidence that Parkinsons disease originates among cells in the gut and travels up the bodys neurons to the brain. The study offers a new, more accurate model in which to test treatments that could prevent or halt Parkinsons disease progression.

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Parkinson’s Disease And Movement Disorders Research

Although curing Parkinson’s disease is not yet possible, treatment for movement disorders is a field in transformation. Every year, more insights on underlying causes and techniques for managing symptoms emerge through tireless research and dedicated innovation at Johns Hopkins.

Research at Johns Hopkins never takes place in isolation. Instead, scientists and doctors work together to translate advances in the lab into new therapies for patients with ataxia, dystonia, essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.

Parkinsons Network Of Excellence

New Frontiers in Parkinson’s Disease Research and Care

A Network of Excellence is comprised of multiple, independent medical sites that together provide high-quality, patient-centered and multi-disciplinary care to people with PD within a specific country or region. A Network demonstrates exemplary care, innovative research, a commitment to medical professional training and educating the community of people with and affected by PD.

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Ur Named National Center Of Excellence For Parkinsons Research

  • UR Named National Center of Excellence for Parkinsons Research

The University of Rochester has been selected as a Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson’s Disease Research by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke . The new $9.2 million award brings together researchers from industry and multiple academic institutions to focus on the development of digital tools to enhance understanding of the disease, engage broad populations in research, and accelerate the development of new treatments for Parkinsons disease.

We are currently in the midst of a Parkinsons pandemic, said University of Rochester Medical Center neurologist Ray Dorsey, M.D., director of the Center for Health + Technology and principal investigator of the new UR Udall Center. From 1990 to 2015, the number of individuals with Parkinsons disease globally has doubled and absent change will double again in the coming generation. The status quo is not working. The medical community must develop new approaches to better understand this complex disease, expand access to specialized care, and increase the speed and efficiency in how we bring new treatments to the market.

The new UR Udall Center will undertake research utilizing mobile technologies, such as smartphones, wearable sensors, and telemedicine to expand the reach of research and to develop objective measures of the disease in real-world settings.

Parkinson’s Foundation Announces Global Care Network Request For Applications

NEW YORK and MIAMI, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Parkinson’s Foundation Global Care Network seeks applications for medical centers providing outstanding clinical care and resources to people with Parkinson’s disease . The network consists of Centers of Excellence and Comprehensive Care Centers both must demonstrate exemplary care and impactful community education and outreach, with Centers of Excellence playing a vital role in leading the PD field in advancing research.

“Today’s announcement marks the next phase in our planned care expansion and underscores the need to designate centers across a wide range of geographic areas,” said John L. Lehr, Parkinson’s Foundation President and CEO. “We will continue to broaden our footprint in care settings to ensure that every person with Parkinson’s disease has access to treatments and resources that will improve their quality of life.”

The number of people living with PD in the U.S. is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030. Currently, care for people with PD is highly varied, and comprehensive care is not widely available. Nearly 40 percent of people with PD do not receive care from a clinician with advanced neurological disease and disorders training. A central priority of the Foundation is ensuring that all people with PD have equitable access to care, and the network aims to close the gap between newly diagnosed individuals and those receiving comprehensive care, information and support.

About the Parkinson’s Foundation

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Udall Center For Parkinson’s Research

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Morris K. Udall Parkinson’s Disease Research Center of Excellence was launched at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania in 2007. The Udall Center for Parkinson’s Research builds on its recent progress to elucidate the progression of Parkinson’s disease from normal cognition to cognitive impairment, executive dysfunction and dementia in PD with dementia , as well as disease progression in dementia with Lewy bodies , along with central nervous system degeneration mediated by progressive accumulations of pathological alphasynuclein.

The overarching goals of the Penn Udall Center are to elucidate mechanisms of disease progression and alphasynuclein transmission through synergistic collaborations between basic and translational research.

Comprehensive Care Center Locations

THE KLEIN FAMILY PARKINSONS REHABILITATION CENTER AT MOSSREHAB  Moss ...
  • To better serve areas with the greatest need for high-quality care, application priority is given to medical centers that are: located in geographic areas that do not currently have a Center of Excellence serve communities that have limited access to quality care resources provide services to bordering cities and states.

    For more information, please contact .

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    Through Its Pilot Grants Program The Pmdc Will Invest Nearly $200000 In Projects Aimed At Improving The Lives Of People With Parkinsons Disease And Other Movement And Neurodegenerative Disorders

    The PMDC Pilot Grants program supports translational research initiatives looking to transform the clinical care of patients with movement disorders.

    The VCU Parkinsons and Movement Disorders Center has awarded nearly $200,000 in pilot grants to four VCU investigators who are looking to improve treatment options for people with Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

    The PMDC Pilot Grants program, now in its second year, seeks to bolster translational research initiatives that will transform the clinical care of patients with movement disorders by providing initial support for research projects that are collaborative, impactful and likely to attract future funding.

    By combining expertise across different disciplines, this years awardees will be able to answer more complex scientific questions and ultimately provide greater benefit to patients affected by Parkinsons and other movement and neurodegenerative disorders, said Brian Berman, M.D., director of the VCU Parkinsons and Movement Disorders Center and chair of the Division of Movement Disorders. More research of this kind will ultimately lead to scientific advances that positively impact the quality of life for individuals living with these disorders.

    The PMDC Pilot Grants program also aims to expand the capacity for future advances by fostering interest in movement disorders research in young and early-stage investigators.

    Leslie J Cloud Mdassociate Professor Department Of Neurology Vcu School Of Medicine

    Blood flow restriction training for Parkinsons disease

    Despite the known health benefits of high intensity exercise, this type of exercise is difficult for people with Parkinsons disease. Blood flow restriction training may provide a solution. This approach combines low intensity exercise with the use of pressurized cuffs to slow blood flow to specific muscles to try to produce results similar to high intensity training. This type of exercise has been shown to be effective at increasing muscle strength, muscle mass and walking speed in healthy and arthritic older adults however, it has yet to be rigorously examined for those with Parkinsons disease. Cloud and her colleagues intend to conduct such a rigorous pilot study and will use this project to develop a protocol, train staff and generate preliminary data.

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    Udall Center Of Excellence For Parkinsons Disease Research At The University Of Michigan

    The University of Michigan Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinsons Disease Research is an integrated, multidisciplinary research program focused on development of new clinical treatments and therapeutic approaches to Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that causes debilitating movement symptoms and affects more than 1 million people in the US. The U-M Udall research program is in the vanguard of advancing our knowledge into the complex integration of motor degeneration, gait dysfunction and balance impairment in Parkinson’s disease and the levodopa resistant symptoms of the disorder.

    Led by William T. Dauer, M.D. and Roger L. Albin, M.D., the U-M Udall center conducts experimental, computational and human research to analyze the causes of cholinergic projections degeneration in the pathogenesis of gait dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease. This kind of exploration, and data collecting, requires an integrative collaboration in which scientists share insight in ways that yield progress far beyond that achievable with a less cooperative approach. The U-M programs central themes are the roles of cholinergic lesions in gait and balance abnormalities in PD and the development of novel treatment strategies targeted at cholinergic neurotransmission.

    Morris K Udall Centers Of Excellence In Parkinson’s Disease Research

    New Frontiers in Parkinson’s Disease Research and Care – Arizona

    Parkinson’s disease is a devastating and complex neurodegenerative disorder that progressively impairs the control of purposeful movement. More than 500,000 Americans are currently diagnosed with PD.

    The NINDS Parkinson’s Disease Research Centers of Excellence program was developed in honor of former Congressman Morris K. Udall of Utah. Mr. Udall was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1961 in a special election to replace his brother Stewart, who left the position to become President John F. Kennedy’s Secretary of Interior. Representative Udall was diagnosed with PD in 1979 however, he remained an active in Congress until his retirement in May 1991. He died in 1998 after a long battle with the disease. On November 13, 1997, the President of the United States signed the Morris K. Udall Parkinson’s Disease Research Act of 1997, into law .

    In 1997, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke released a Request for Applications to establish the first Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence in Parkinson’s Disease Research. By 2008, thirteen active Centers spanned the United States. Udall Centers utilize a multidisciplinary research approach to elucidate the fundamental causes of PD as well as to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients with Parkinson’s and related neurodegenerative disorders.

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    Unmc Research Offers Rare Glimpse Into Parkinsons Disease Using Neuroimaging

    A UNMC research team has found a way to monitor brain injuries that occur in Parkinsons disease providing clinicians a rare glimpse into the disease process.

    By using magnetoencephalography imaging Tony Wilson, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience and lead study investigator, was able to pinpoint the regions of the brain affected by this debilitating disease.

    The results of Dr. Wilsons research were published in the Journal Cerebral Cortex, one of the top ranked neuroscience journals.

    In the year-long study, Dr. Wilson and colleagues scanned the brains of 19 patients with Parkinsons and 16 without to see how different regions of the brain were involved in the initiation of basic movements.

    Using MEG imaging, the investigative team identified the regions of the brain that became engaged when the person performed a simple hand movement.

    The scans revealed that patients with Parkinsons disease had clear deficits in critical brain centers during the movements, Dr. Wilson said.

    Now that the specific regions of the brain affected by Parkinsons have been identified, the next step is to develop medications designed to slow the diseases progression.

    Up to this point, we have not had a foolproof way of diagnosing or monitoring Parkinsons. The hope is that this will become a biomarker that will aid clinicians in determining the best therapeutic methods to use for their patients, he said.

    Parkinsons Disease Research Centers Of Excellence

    The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. As a part of this mission, the NINDS supports basic, translational and clinical research on Parkinson’s disease , a complex neurodegenerative disorder that progressively impairs the control of purposeful movement.

    The NINDS Centers of Excellence program for PD research was developed in honor of former Congressman Morris K. Udall of Arizona, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1961. Representative Udall was diagnosed with PD in 1979 and remained active in Congress until his retirement in 1991. On November 13, 1997, the President of the United States signed the Morris K. Udall Parkinson’s Disease Research Act of 1997 into law .

    In 1997, the NINDS released a Request for Applications to establish the first Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence in Parkinson’s Disease Research. Udall Centers utilize a team-based, interdisciplinary research approach to elucidate the fundamental causes of PD as well as to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients with Parkinson’s and related neurodegenerative disorders.

    The NINDS is committed to continuing and enhancing the tradition of scientific excellence fostered by the Udall Centers. For further information, contact .

    NINDS Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease Research

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