2023 research summary

It has been a busy year for Parkinson’s research. With updates in many areas of research, and 149 research studies taking place worldwide, there’s been plenty to talk about. Join us as we take a look at some of the highlights from the year.

Parkinson’s research in the headlines

In the year that saw the World Parkinson Congress take place in Barcelona, there was plenty of Parkinson’s research to celebrate.

Celebrating Parkinson’s research worldwide

A highlight this year was seeing the Parkinson’s community come together in Barcelona for the World Parkinson Congress. The 4-day conference brought over 2,600 researchers, healthcare professionals, and people living with Parkinson’s together to hear research updates. From new treatments to finding solutions for living well with the condition.

Read about some of our highlights from the congress in our blogs:

• Highlights from the World Parkinson Congress: Hot Topics
• Highlights from the World Parkinson Congress: Emerging Therapies
• Highlights from the World Parkinson Congress: the gut and Parkinson's

Positive results from Parkinson’s clinical trials

One of the top stories from the World Parkinson Congress brings us one step closer to a better treatment for Parkinson’s. The research was funded through the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech, the drug discovery and development programme run by Parkinson’s UK. Read more about the Parkinson's Virtual Biotech.

Parkinson’s UK, together with the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) and biotech company Neurolixis, were pleased to announce positive results in a study investigating a new drug for dyskinesia (uncontrolled movements), a common side effect of dopamine replacement medicine for Parkinson’s.

The drug is called NLX-112 and the phase 2 study showed it to be safe and effective. But beyond that, the drug showed potential for treating general movement symptoms, as well as dyskinesia. A larger study now needs to be carried out and if further trials are successful, we could have a valuable new Parkinson’s drug by 2030.

Read more about the NLX-112 results.

Also this year, another phase 2 study known as the UP study shared positive results. Researchers at the University of Sheffield have shown that ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), an existing drug for a rare form of liver disease, is safe and could improve symptoms for people with Parkinson’s.

The study involved 20 people with Parkinson’s, who took the drug or placebo for 48 weeks. Results showed that UDCA could increase energy production in cells in the brain, something that could help protect brain cells in Parkinson’s. The results also showed its potential to help with balance and walking, something the researchers want to investigate further.

The trial was supported by Parkinson’s UK research volunteers, who helped shape the trial to make sure it was appropriate for people with Parkinson’s.

Read more about the results from the UP study.

Potential new biomarker for Parkinson’s

In April, researchers shared an update on a new lab test that might be able to help diagnose Parkinson’s before brain cells are damaged. This came from a team of US scientists analysing over 1,000 samples from people with and without Parkinson’s who had taken part in the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative. Read more about the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative on The Michael J. Fox Foundation website.

The researchers looked for incorrectly folded forms of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is fluid that surrounds the spinal cord.

This toxic form of alpha-synuclein can damage dopamine-producing cells, and may be responsible for the development and spread of Parkinson’s in the brain. Until now it was largely unknown if alpha-synuclein could be detected before it was seen in brain cells.

Results from the study showed that the test was able to correctly show a diagnosis of Parkinson’s with 88% accuracy overall. This included being able to diagnose Parkinson’s in people who had early symptoms but were yet to receive a diagnosis.

Read more about this diagnosis test and the next steps toward a biomarker for Parkinson’s.

Spinal implant to treat Parkinson’s symptoms

Parkinson’s research made the headlines in November when researchers shared news about a way to directly stimulate cells responsible for controlling leg movement and its success for a person with Parkinson’s.

The procedure involved imaging the spine carefully, before surgically implanting electrodes which give electrical pulses to the nerves that control leg movement. After the surgery, the individual was able to walk long distances again, experienced less freezing, and had a greater quality of life.

Similar surgeries have been done for people who have experienced spinal cord injury, but this is the first time it has been done for someone living with Parkinson’s. It now needs to be further investigated in more people with Parkinson’s to see if these positive results can be repeated and the surgery is safe.

Read more about the spinal implant research.

Parkinson’s UK funds research to bring new treatments, faster

From funding individual research projects to investing in global partnerships, we’re making sure we’re pushing promising research forward.

Over £2.2m for Parkinson’s research, and more to come

So far in 2023, we’ve been able to provide over £1.8m in funding for 9 new research projects (an extra 3 compared to this time last year). From Edinburgh to Cardiff to London, these projects highlight the depth and breadth of the excellent research being carried out by Parkinson’s researchers. Spanning from understanding how stress might affect cells in Parkinson’s, to testing potential new drugs for Parkinson’s in mice.

Read more about our newly funded research projects.

We’ve also invested more money into promising research we’re already funding, awarding an extra £400,000 to 2 projects. These are looking at new ways to track and diagnose Parkinson’s, and finding new targets for potential Parkinson’s drugs.

We still have around £1m in funding to award before the year is out. Look out for announcements about the new vital research projects we’ll be supporting early in the new year.

Investing in clinical trials to accelerate treatments

The Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech is our bold and innovative way to invest in drug discovery and development. We’re driven by the needs of people with Parkinson’s, to progress promising research to a stage where it’s attractive to larger investors.

This year, the Virtual Biotech announced a partnership with Cure Parkinson’s to co-fund a clinical trial looking at a component of a cough medicine, called ambroxol, to treat Parkinson’s. The study, known as ASPro-PD, will be a phase 3 trial, the final stage of testing, to understand if a new drug is effective. It will be the first phase 3 study that the Virtual Biotech has invested in.

Due to delays in gearing up for the research trial, the ASPro-PD study is not yet ready to recruit participants. But we’re looking forward to being able to provide more updates in the new year.

Read more about ambroxol and Parkinson’s.

The ASPro-PD study is just 1 of 6 clinical research studies testing new potential treatments being supported by the Virtual Biotech. This year also saw an update from another of these 6 studies: CAN-PDP.

This trial aims to understand whether cannabidiol (CBD), part of the cannabis plant, might be useful for treating hallucinations and delusions in people with Parkinson’s. In 2019, Parkinson’s UK announced funding for this pioneering clinical trial alongside King’s College London.

The first phase of the study aimed to find a suitable dose of manufactured CBD that could be safely taken by people with Parkinson’s. Now, researchers are looking for people to be part of the next phase, to test how well this dose of CBD can reduce symptoms of psychosis.

Find out more about the CAN-PDP trial and how you can take part.

We can’t do this without you

The Parkinson’s community is at the heart of everything we do. From decisions about what we fund, to shaping research projects, to sharing research updates and opportunities, everyone can play a part in bringing new treatments, faster.

Spreading the word about research

Without people taking part, it would simply be impossible to know whether these new potential treatments are effective and safe for use in treating Parkinson’s. This is why we’re set on making sure that everyone feels like they can take part in research. And we’re here to help researchers connect with participants. In 2023, we supported 70 projects with their recruitment.

To mark International Clinical Trials Day in May, we shared stories of why people take part in Parkinson’s research. We called this the Parkinson’s research needs you campaign, highlighting experiences while encouraging others to get involved. Thanks to your support, the 4 featured research projects all saw a boost in recruitment, with 1 study finding 200 participants to reach its target.

Read more about the Parkinson’s research needs you campaign.

The Parkinson’s UK Research Support Network is made up of people who want to receive the latest research news and opportunities, either for themselves or to share with others. It's the main way we stay in touch with people who are interested in research. So we’re so pleased to see that our network has grown by almost 2,000 people in 2023 taking us to a total of nearly 9,000 people. Let’s continue sharing Parkinson’s research to get it on everyone’s agenda.

This year we also welcomed another 70 research volunteers to the team, bringing us to a staggering total of 451! Our volunteers have helped us achieve incredible things this year, including:

• welcoming 15 new lay grant reviewers who help us assess new funding requests and make sure we’re funding work that’s important to the Parkinson’s community
• designing and shaping over 50 Parkinson’s research projects through our involvement programme
• supporting 70 research studies to find participants, adding to our knowledge and understanding of Parkinson’s
• delivering more than 20 community events across all 4 nations, thanks to our 12 Research Interest Groups
• reaching over 400 healthcare professionals to speak about the importance of sharing research opportunities with their patients
• delivering workshops to encourage researchers to work in partnership with the Parkinson’s community when planning their research, at both national and international conferences.

Ensuring everyone is included

Building on the success of last year’s Living Well with Parkinson’s event in Hounslow, we’ve supported people with Parkinson’s as co-creators of 2 further events looking at improving diversity in Parkinson’s research. These were held in Brixton, South London with people of Black African and Caribbean heritage, and in Bradford, West Yorkshire, with people in the South Asian community.

Both events were a great opportunity for members of the community to connect and share experiences of living with Parkinson’s. They also provided a space to learn more about living well, and find out about local research or other opportunities to get more involved.

The Race Equality in Research project has been a priority of ours since 2021. So this year we took some time to readdress our goals for the upcoming year, while reflecting on what we have achieved so far. We will continue to prioritise our work towards race equality in research both within and outside of Parkinson’s UK in 2024.

Read about our priorities for the Race Equality in Research project in 2024.

Looking ahead to 2024

2023 has been busy, but 2024 is shaping up to be even bigger. With big research studies coming to an end this year, we’re looking forward to being able to share results as soon as they are available.

Many key events are coming up in 2024. We’re particularly excited about the return of our research conference, Par-Con. This will be a great opportunity to bring everyone together to discuss living well with Parkinson’s, as well as share the latest research updates.

We're also working on a new project called Trusted Tech, so look out for updates in the coming year. Alongside the Parkinson’s community, we’re building a tool that will help people with Parkinson’s discover and make confident choices about technology that could improve quality of life.

The best place to stay up to date with all of this and more is by joining the Research Support Network. Sign up to our Research Support Network for free to make sure you never miss the latest news. 

Wishing you all a restful end of 2023, and best wishes for the new year ahead.

The Research team at Parkinson’s UK