Tracking Parkinson's
Tracking Parkinson's will be the world's largest ever
in-depth study of people with Parkinson's. We need thousands of
people with Parkinson's across the UK to
get involved.
This ambitious 5-year project, fully funded by Parkinson's UK,
aims to speed up our search for a cure by finding 'biomarkers'.
Watch our short film to find out more.
Already know you want
to take part? Find out what to do.
Duration: 3 minutes 41 seconds
You require javascript to view the flash media player.
Transcript of Tracking Parkinson's
film
We launched Tracking Parkinson's in April 2012, in Parkinson's Awareness Week.
Biomarkers - the key to a cure
Identifying biomarkers is key and would revolutionise the diagnosis and management of Parkinson's.
Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research
We believe that finding biomarkers is crucial to finding a cure
for Parkinson's.
Biomarkers are small changes in the body that can be measured
to show how severe your Parkinson's is. But no biomarkers have
yet been found for Parkinson's.
Without a reliable biomarker we cannot diagnose Parkinson's
accurately or measure how it progresses - which is a massive
barrier to testing new treatments.
Having a biomarker for Parkinson's would also help us diagnose
Parkinson's earlier, when people are most likely to benefit
from the new treatments scientists are working on.
Who can take part?
We need thousands of people with Parkinson's across the UK to
get involved to make Tracking Parkinson's a success.
We're looking for:
- people diagnosed with Parkinson's in the past 3 years
- people diagnosed before the age of 50 - this part of
the study is now full
We'll also be asking a smaller number of brothers and
sisters of people with Parkinson's (who are enrolled in the
study) to participate.
Where is the study happening?
The study is happening in a network of more than 50 study
centres across the UK.
So hopefully it should be possible for most people to find a
local study centre and take part in Tracking Parkinson's.
What does taking part involve?
Taking part involves:
- completing questionnaires
- donating blood samples
- having your Parkinson's symptoms carefully monitored at regular
hospital appointments
What will happen to my information and blood samples?
The information and blood samples collected in the study will be
anonymised and made available to researchers studying Parkinson's
all over the world free of charge.
This will create a lasting legacy that future generations of
people with Parkinson's will benefit from.
I'd like to take part. What do I do?
If you've been diagnosed with Parkinson's in the last 3
years or were diagnosed before the age of 50, you should be
eligible to take part.
Please check the list of hospitals involved in the study to
see whether there is a centre near enough to you.
If there is, and you feel you can travel to it please discuss
taking part in the study with your Parkinson's nurse or
specialist.
If you decide you'd like to take part ask your specialist or
Parkinson's nurse to contact the hospital team directly for further
information.
Image right: Donald Grosset, Tracking Parkinson's lead
researcher at the University of Glasgow
I'm not eligible to take part but I'd still like to help - what
can I do?
Please help us spread the word to people who might be interested
in participating.
If you know someone recently diagnosed with Parkinson's, or
someone who was diagnosed before the age of 50, please tell them
about the study.
I have a question that's not answered above - who do I
ask?
Please email us at research@parkinsons.org.uk
More ways to support Parkinson's research
- email
-
Share