Translating COVID-19 science for Parkinson’s research
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the vital role of scientific research. In this blog, we draw parallels between the science of the pandemic and Parkinson’s.
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted people’s lives globally and with it has brought scientific discovery and discussions to the forefront of our minds. We have been inundated with information and updates, among this being scientific terms and processes for finding hopeful new treatments and prevention strategies. The foundation of these ideas and processes are not new, but the speed and urgency of the global response to developing, testing and approving a vaccine has been unprecedented.
During this challenging time Parkinson’s UK has been, and continues to be, dedicated to offering support to those living with Parkinson’s. But as well as this, we continue to drive forward research into finding better treatments and a cure for the condition.
There are parallels to be drawn from the scientific response to COVID-19 and Parkinson’s research, and already our community is looking to see what we can learn to speed up the search for much needed new treatments for the condition.
Top quality research and collaboration
The pandemic has highlighted that UK scientists, the NHS and the vibrant commercial sector are world leading and primed to find and approve new treatments. It has also shown the power of unity, working collaboratively across the globe to accelerate the search for life-changing treatments.
The successful discovery of the COVID-19 vaccines came from open, transparent and regular sharing of data. This is something that was increasingly happening in Parkinson’s research before the pandemic, but we can always do better. Hopefully, this will accelerate and encourage researchers to be even more open.
The science of COVID-19 was global and the World Health Organisation offered a central organisation to champion the research. So are there any global initiatives dedicated to Parkinson’s research? The short answer is yes.
There are already global collaborations bringing together various partners: researchers, pharmaceutical companies, regulators, charities and people affected by Parkinson’s, to form a united approach to make research as efficient as possible.
One such example is a global initiative called Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP), which focuses on funding and prioritising key areas of research. The collaboration aims to tackle and prioritise the key scientific challenges in Parkinson’s by sharing resources and data across the Parkinson’s community. Find out more about Aligning Science Across Parkinson's on their website.
Another collaboration that aims to accelerate research is the Critical Path for Parkinson’s. This collaboration focuses on making clinical trials faster, cheaper and more likely to succeed through sharing and learning from existing data.
Many studies and trials have been conducted in Parkinson’s over the past few years. Some testing potential new treatments, others collecting detailed information about the condition over time. Each individual study provides important insights, but if all the data could be combined and analysed together it becomes far more powerful.
This is exactly what the Critical Path for Parkinson’s is doing, building a huge and highly sophisticated database that can be used to understand the condition and develop the tools the community needs to improve clinical trials.
Find out more about the Critical Path for Parkinson's.
Smoothing out the research pipeline
Normally it takes years (if not decades) to develop new medicines. But we can all agree the development and testing of treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 happened at an impressive pace.
The coronavirus vaccines were developed and approved in less than a year, something that has not been done before. Before this, the mumps vaccine held the record as it was developed in 4 years, but on average it is estimated to take over 10 years for a new treatment to be tested and approved. And this figure can fluctuate as there are many variables involved in the discovery of new treatments.
A significant factor that sped up the development of the coronavirus vaccines was the fast-tracking of trials by regulatory authorities. These are bodies that play a key role in the development of new medicines. They are often unseen players, but not anymore. The relevant authority in the UK is the MHRA, The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which governs the testing and approval of medicines in the UK.
New treatments are tested through a series of clinical trials that happen in sequential fashion to ensure the safety and benefit of a medication to a certain group of people. There is then the approval process that moves an experimental treatment into use as a prescribed medication.
But in the case of the coronavirus trials, the phases overlapped. For instance, planning for the next phase of research was done in parallel to gathering the results from the previous stage, but importantly the safety data was always obtained before the research moved down the pipeline. Continuous funding helped make this possible, as usually researchers would have to seek further funding at each timepoint in the pipeline, dependent on results. The regulatory authorities also had access to the trial information much earlier in the process allowing quicker action leading to rapid approval.
Due to the urgency of the situation pharmaceutical companies also took greater risks, usually manufacturing of a treatment or vaccine wouldn’t happen until after it had been approved, but in this case, they started manufacturing the vaccines pre-emptively.
So, how can this speed be applied to solving and treating other conditions?
Funding is a big factor. This past year, despite the challenges, there have been examples of large investments into the field of Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s charities and movements also play a vital role in raising the awareness and importance of Parkinson’s research to get it on the agenda for more funding.
There should be more collaboration between regulatory authorities, such as the MHRA, and researchers from the beginning of a project and throughout the research pipeline. This would help iron out any potential stumbling blocks as research progresses and help speed up the approval of possible life changing new treatments.
For instance, we have been working in consultation with the MHRA to carry out a trial through our Virtual Biotech looking at the potential of a repurposed drug for treating hallucinations in people with Parkinson’s. These discussions enabled the trial to be designed in the most efficient way with a clear plan for the approval phase, if the trial is successful.
You might also be interested in how we are striving to turn cutting edge science into new treatments as quickly and safely as possible through the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech initiative, the pioneering drug development arm of Parkinson’s UK.
Find out more about the Parkinson's Virtual Biotech.
The importance of testing and diagnosis
Testing is vital in the fight to find cures. We need to be able to identify problems early so we can understand more about a condition and its causes, to then intervene with treatments. This has been hugely important in the response to the pandemic, especially with regard to stopping the spread of the virus. Parkinson’s is very different to COVID-19 as it cannot be spread from person to person. However, identifying people with the condition is vital to ensure people get timely support, access to treatments and opportunities to take part in research to ultimately find better treatments and a cure for the condition.
This is currently a hurdle in Parkinson’s, as there is currently no simple diagnostic test for the condition. This can lead to diagnosis being a long process, and it is thought early changes that contribute to Parkinson’s occur long before symptoms may become apparent and a diagnosis is received. So this is a vital area of research for Parkinson’s.
Various research projects are looking at ways to diagnose Parkinson’s earlier and more accurately. Including work investigating blood tests, skin swans, brain scans and even breathalysers.
There has been recent news that moves us closer to a diagnostic test in the form of a skin swab. This test now needs to be refined to see if it can be used in the clinical setting.
Vaccines, vaccines, vaccines
We have heard a lot about the search and approval of vaccinations to help protect people from COVID-19. Vaccines use the power of the immune system to help protect us from serious illnesses, readying our bodies to react and rapidly respond to defend us from unwanted invaders such as the COVID-19 virus. This readied response reduces the risk of people getting ill from the infection.
Vaccinations are also being investigated for Parkinson’s. This area of research wants to understand if there’s a way of using vaccination to get the immune system to target and clear troublesome clumps of protein thought to be involved in causing Parkinson’s.
There are a number of trials currently underway that aim to target alpha-synuclein, a protein that forms these sticky tangles and clumps inside the brain cells affected in Parkinson’s. The aim is to see if these potential treatments can recognise alpha-synuclein and help the brain’s immune system to eliminate this damaging protein. The hope is that removing excess alpha-synuclein could help to protect brain cells and slow or stop Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s can impact people in different ways, as does COVID-19 infection. However, the causes of Parkinson’s are much more complex, and may vary from person to person, making vaccine development much more difficult and time consuming. It is also likely that a potential vaccine would not be the only thing that is needed in the toolkit to help stop or slow the condition.
But that is not to say progress isn’t being made in this area.
People powered research
Without courageous people who step up to test whether medicines are safe and effective, there would not be any new treatments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these people were more important than ever.
People affected by Parkinson’s continue to take part and shape studies to ensure research continues to move forward, despite the inevitable impact the pandemic has had on clinical trials.
It has been vital for people affected by Parkinson’s and researchers to come together to ensure people feel safe at this time to take part in research, and many studies have been re-designed based on what people with Parkinson’s and their loved ones have told us.
There are many exciting trials on the horizon and various studies are looking for participants today. You can search for opportunities to take part in research on our Take Part Hub.
Together, we are more efficient and have the power to drive research forward.
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