First group leaders announced for new Parkinson’s Research Centre

Early last year, we shared the news of our £10m partnership with the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) in establishing a pioneering new Parkinson’s Research Centre. 

Professor Miratul Muqit was recruited as Centre Director, sharing our vision to create a centre shaped by people living with Parkinson’s. Our goal is to establish one of the world’s leading hubs for understanding the causes of Parkinson’s, ultimately driving forward new ideas for diagnosis and treatment.

Following a competitive selection process, 3 of the UK’s leading Parkinson’s researchers, who are currently or have previously been funded by us, have now been appointed to UK DRI Group Leader roles:

• Professor Laura Parkkinen (University of Oxford) – looking to understand more about the mechanisms that drive Parkinson’s
• Professor Peter Magill (University of Oxford) - investigating the brain circuits involved in Parkinson’s
• Professor Henry Houlden (UCL) - studying the genetics of Parkinson’s and other movement conditions across diverse groups of patients

Together, these researchers bring a wide range of expertise and approaches to the centre that will accelerate progress toward earlier diagnosis and more targeted treatments for Parkinson’s and related conditions.

Selecting the best researchers to lead the centre

Shafaq Ali, who lives with Parkinson’s and joined the interview panel, said:

“It was a privilege to be involved in this recruitment process. The new Centre recognises that Parkinson’s research cannot happen without the involvement and participation of the Parkinson’s community. By involving me in the recruitment process, they proved it is a core value they hold from the start. To be able to hear from the Group Leaders, and Miratul himself, of their passion and plans for involvement and transformative research has filled me with hope about what is to come.”

David Dexter, our Director of Research, shares his thoughts on this important milestone for establishing the new centre:

“We set out to find the best minds to tackle the growing global problem of Parkinson’s and I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to secure high calibre scientists, in a very competitive process. Each has their specific areas of expertise, which will come together under Miratul’s leadership, to speed up life changing research into new insights and life changing treatments for Parkinson’s.”

What’s next? 

The newly appointed researchers will now work closely with a group of people living with Parkinson’s to shape the centre’s ongoing strategy and direction. This collaboration will ensure the centre is ready for its official launch later this year.