We’ve awarded over £250,000 to new research projects to improve challenging symptoms of Parkinson’s
In this round of grants, we’ve awarded funding to 2 projects that explore new solutions to manage Parkinson’s symptoms, without the need for extra medication.
Parkinson’s is a complex condition. There are over 40 different symptoms, which affect people in different ways and can change over time. For many, a combination of movement symptoms, such as slowed movement and stiffness, and non-movement symptoms, such as fatigue and low mood, can make day-to-day life very challenging.
As the leading European funder of Parkinson’s research, we recognise the importance of supporting research looking for treatments that can help manage these symptoms, now. We’re pleased to share that we’ve awarded £255,226 to projects exploring whether a musical digital app and a diet programme can tackle priority symptoms that we know matter to the Parkinson’s community.
Tracy is a lay grant reviewer, volunteering to help us choose what research to fund. She shared:
"My late father had Parkinson’s. He would have done anything to help other people with Parkinson’s, and had he been diagnosed earlier would have been the first to volunteer for any research opportunity!
"Both my son and I volunteer as lay grant reviewers, allowing us to contribute, even in a small way, to improve diagnosis and treatment for Parkinson’s."
Our newly funded projects
Can an online diet programme improve quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s?
Lead researcher: Dr Claire McEvoy, Queen's University Belfast
Funding awarded: £146,976
The food we eat has a huge impact on our health. For some symptoms of Parkinson’s, such as fatigue, low mood and constipation, nutrition is thought to play a key role. Yet, most people with Parkinson’s lack access to dieticians and reliable advice.
Dr Claire McEvoy aims to address this gap by trialing a new online programme, called MediPD, designed to help people with Parkinson’s adopt a Mediterranean-style diet. This diet is rich in fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and fish, and may reduce inflammation, improve gut-health, and protect the brain, making it a promising option for Parkinson’s.
The study builds on earlier work by Richelle Flanagan, a dietitian living with Parkinson’s and co-founder of MyMovesMatter, who developed the MediPD programme. Over 24 weeks, 120 people with Parkinson’s will trial the programme which, if successful, could provide an accessible tool to help people with Parkinson’s better manage their condition.
Claire shared: "There is a significant lack of research into how nutrition can support people living with Parkinson’s to feel better and manage their symptoms. Queen’s University Belfast is delighted to receive this award from Parkinson’s UK to lead the first study of its kind in the UK."
Seeing if an app that uses music can improve walking
Lead researcher: Dr Alan Godfrey, Northumbria University
Funding awarded: £108,250
Parkinson’s can make walking harder and increase the risk of falls. Which affects confidence, independence, and quality of life. Cueing techniques, like using music, can help improve walking and reduce falls by giving prompts that make walking steadier and more consistent.
This study will explore a new smartphone app, called CuePD, which uses personalised music matched to walking pace to improve gait. The researchers want to understand whether the app works in real-life settings and if people enjoy using it. 40 people with Parkinson’s will take part over 12 weeks and test the app to see if it helps improve walking to reduce the risk of falling.
If successful, this study could lead to larger trials with CuePD which could show how smartphone-based tools could be made widely available, improving mobility and quality of life for people with Parkinson’s across the UK in an enjoyable way.
Alan shared: "This study will help us to refine CuePD to ensure that it can be an enjoyable and accessible tool that people genuinely want to use, and one that could ultimately reduce falls risk and improve quality of life in people with Parkinson's."
Our volunteer lay grant reviewers give people affected by Parkinson’s a voice, helping us fund research projects which will have the biggest impact on people living with the condition.
We’ve invested over £130m in vital research that’s delivered groundbreaking discoveries, new medications and better care.
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