Current research: what causes Parkinson's?

We are currently funding 37 research projects worth over £5million exploring the causes of Parkinson's.

Parkinson's researcher We need to know how and why certain nerve cells in the brain in Parkinson's die in order to find a cure.

In Parkinson's there is a slow loss of nerve cells in the brain, with symptoms only emerging when around 70% of cells have been lost.

But we still don't know how or why these nerve cells die.

Here are details of some of the research projects we are funding in this area.

What does alpha-synuclein do in nerve cells?

Professor Vladimir Buchman, Cardiff University
£184,778 over 3 years
Start date: April 2011
Project grant: G-1006

Vladimir wants to know what happens to nerve cells when they lose alpha-synuclein at different stages in their development. Understanding how losing alpha-synuclein affects nerve cells may lead to new targets for treatment.

What does alpha-synuclein do in nerve cells? - research project summary (PDF, 150KB)

Using skin cells to tell us more about Parkinson's

Dr Oliver Bandmann, University of Sheffield
£226,181 over 3 years
Start date: April 2011
Project grant: G-1007

Oliver is looking for differences inside skin cells from people with and without Parkinson's who have an altered version of the LRRK2 gene which is known to increase risk of Parkinson's.

Using skin cells to tell us more about Parkinson's - research project summary (PDF, 95KB)

What roles do inflammation and iron play inside the Parkinson's brain?

Dr David Dexter, Imperial College London
£35,000 over 12 months
Start date: March 2011
Innovation grant: K-1004

David's team are trying to unravel the role inflammation plays in bringing iron into the nerve cells that die in Parkinson's.

What roles do inflammation and iron play inside the Parkinson's brain? - research project summary (PDF, 401KB)

Using fruit flies to study the visual problems of Parkinson's

Dr Christopher Elliot, University of York
£33,587 over 6 months
Start date: October 2010
Innovation grant: K-1007

Many people with Parkinson's experience eye problems like difficulty reading and dry eyes. To get to the bottom of these issues, Chris is investigating how a gene known to cause inherited Parkinson's affects vision in fruit flies.

Using fruit flies to study the visual problems of Parkinson's - research project summary (PDF, 431KB)

Studying alpha-synuclein in a realistic model of Parkinson's

Dr Richard Wade-Martins, University of Oxford
£212,058 over 3 years
Start date: September 2010
Project grant: G-1003

Richard's project will investigate the earliest stages of Parkinson's in mice that have the human alpha-synuclein protein - which forms sticky clumps that clog up the nerve cells affected in Parkinson's.

Studying alpha-synuclein in a realistic model of Parkinson's - research project summary (PDF, 208KB)

How does Parkinson's spread throughout the brain?

Professor Tamas Revesz, University College London
£319,334 over 3 years
Start date: November 2010
Project grant: G-1004

Tamas is studying brain tissue (some from the Parkinson's UK Brain Bank) looking for subtle changes that occur as Parkinson's spreads from cell to cell. He hopes that this will reveal clues to new treatments.

How does Parkinson's spread throughout the brain? - research project summary (PDF, 157KB)

Are Lewy bodies behind dopamine nerve cell death?

Dr Mark Cooper, Institute of Neurology, UCL
£208,751 over 3 years
Start date: August 2010
Project grant: G-0910

Mark wants to find out whether there's a link between the death of dopamine-producing nerve cells and excess phosphate on the serine 129 part of alpha-synuclein.

Are Lewy bodies behind dopamine nerve cell death? - research project summary (PDF, 351KB)

Using worms to understand Parkinson's

Dr Anton Gartner, University of Dundee
£196,322 over 3 years
Start date: February 2010
Project grant: G-0912

Anton's project will use the worm C. elegans to study key genes that cause cells to die. Understanding how genes damage or protect nerve cells may provide crucial clues to what happens when nerve cells die in Parkinson's.

Using worms to understand Parkinson's - research project summary (PDF, 255KB)

Update: November 2011
Anton has recently isolated a gene which could be a vital clue. Read about Dr Gartner's progress to date (PDF, 925KB)

The role of the NOS enzyme in Parkinson's

Dr Matthew Wood, University of Oxford
£116,958 over 2 years
Start date: January 2010
Project grant: G-0904

Inflammation, caused by excess nitric oxide, may be involved in the death of nerve cells in Parkinson's. Matthew's project will investigate what happens when you switch off the NOS enzyme which produces nitric oxide - do the nerve cells survive?

The role of the NOS enzyme in Parkinson's - research project summary (PDF, 239KB)

Using yeast to help us understand the DJ-1 gene

Dr Flaviano Giorgini, University of Leicester
£242,759 over 3 years
Start date: November 2009
Project grant: G-0902

We know that the DJ-1 gene is involved in some inherited forms of Parkinson's. Flaviano will explore how healthy and faulty versions of DJ-1 affect yeast cells to help us understand why nerve cells die.

Using yeast to help us understand the DJ-1 gene - research project summary (PDF, 167KB)

How mutations in the DJ-1 gene cause nerve cell death

Dr Gyorgy Szabadkai, University College London
£262,892 over 3 years
Start date: November 2009
Project grant: G-0905

DJ-1 is one of several genes known to be linked to Parkinson's. Gyorgy is looking in detail at how DJ-1 behaves inside cells and how mutations influence how it works. This will help us understand why nerve cells die.

How mutations in the DJ-1 gene cause nerve cell death - research project summary (PDF, 152KB)

What genes make people more likely to develop Parkinson's?

Professor John Hardy, Institute of Neurology, University College London
£163,668 over 3 years
Start date: October 2009
Project grant: G-0907

John's team are investigating the interaction between different genes inside nerve cells. This will help them unravel how subtle changes in genes make some people more likely to get Parkinson's.

What genes make people more likely to develop Parkinson's? - research project summary (PDF, 151KB)

What does the PINK1 gene do inside nerve cells?

Professor Dario Alessi, University of Dundee
£84,945 over 3 years
Start date: October 2009
PhD studentship: H-0901

Changes in the PINK1 gene cause rare inherited forms of Parkinson's. Dario's research is investigating how and why changes in the PINK1 gene cause nerve cells to die in Parkinson's.

What does the PINK1 gene do inside nerve cells? - research project summary (PDF, 95KB)

Can zebrafish help us to understand early onset Parkinson's?

Dr Oliver Bandmann, University of Sheffield
£239,593 over 3 years
Start date: June 2009
Project grant: G-0901

Oliver is studying changes in the parkin gene in zebrafish. This will help us understand how changes in human parkin cause early onset forms of inherited Parkinson's.

Can zebrafish help us to understand early onset Parkinson's? - research project summary (PDF, 359KB)

Why are dopamine-producing nerve cells vulnerable in Parkinson's?

Dr Siew-Lan Ang, National Institute Medical Research, London
£189,017 over 3 years
Start date: September 2009
Project grant: G-0906

Siew-Lan is studying how 2 genes (called Robo genes) affect how dopamine-producing nerve cells develop, and if they can help explain why some cells die in Parkinson's while others don't.

Why are dopamine-producing nerve cells vulnerable in Parkinson's? - research project summary (PDF, 246KB)