Dundee and Edinburgh Parkinson's Research Initiative

People with Parkinson’s urgently need new treatments that will slow, stop and ultimately reverse the condition. The Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh are part of a global community of researchers working towards this goal and have joined forces to help deliver new treatments and accelerate access to clinical trials.

There have been major advances in our understanding of Parkinson’s in recent years, including the identification of distinct disease subtypes. The Dundee and Edinburgh Parkinson’s Research Initiative is further developing this knowledge and using these discoveries to develop new medicines and design better drugs trials.

The partnership brings together doctors and scientists who have world-class knowledge and expertise in Parkinson’s, clinical trials and related fields.

Preparing for trials

The key aspect of this initiative is to invite everyone with Parkinson’s in South East Scotland to join an innovative research database. This activity will capture a wealth of information including demographics, lifestyle, environment, disease symptoms and medications. For the first time in the UK, we can also offer NHS-accredited genetic screening of Parkinson’s-associated genes. All of this data will give a rich picture of each individual and their Parkinson’s subtype.

Working with collaborators in the UK and across the world, this resource will help researchers to identify the factors that influence Parkinson’s progression. Crucially, it will also enable tailored recruitment of individuals to research studies and clinical trials that are most suitable for them.

Once the project has been developed and piloted in Lothian and Tayside, our ambition is to expand to other Scottish centres.