Parkinson’s research goes Hollywood

Australian researchers will work alongside Hollywood actor Michael J. Fox, a Parkinson’s patient, in a global study to uncover early signs of Parkinson’s disease.

Researchers are eager to recruit Australian Parkinson’s patients as well as those without the degenerative neurological disorder to participate in the five-year study, which has already launched in the US and Europe.

With more than 80,000 Australians estimated to be affected by the incurable disease, the call for participants comes in time to mark National Parkinson’s Awareness Week, which starts this Sunday, 28 August 2011.

The study focuses on a search for Parkinson’s “biomarkers”; biological substances which alert doctors to the early signs of the degenerative neurological disorder.

Common examples of biomarkers in other diseases include high levels of cholesterol for possible heart disease.

The study aims to find biomarkers which can alert doctors to a person’s chance of developing the disease before obvious symptoms begin to show. Once found, researchers can then start on improving treatments to either stop or slow the progress of Parkinson’s.

In most cases, Parkinson’s patients are diagnosed only when they show obvious symptoms such as body tremors, slowness of movement and muscle pain.

Lead researcher Kenneth Marek, a clinical professor of neurology at Yale University, says data collected as part of the study would be made available to scientists around the world to help them identify Parkinson’s biomarkers.

“The big issue for Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s is these are progressive disorders that can become worse over time, and the question is can [we] develop a drug that slows [it] down as opposed to treating the symptoms of the disease?” Mr Marek says.

He says an issue that has been the “show-stopper” in trying to develop these drugs is they do not have the tools to monitor what happens over time; and says this study is focused on developing those tools.

Australians interested in taking part in the study must be at least 30 years old, newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s and must not be taking any medications for the disease. Healthy participants without Parkinson’s are also needed.

All must be willing to undergo a series of clinical tests and provide blood and spinal-fluid samples.

Visit the Shake It Up foundation’s website at www.shakeitup.org.au for more information.