Parkinson's and Genetics Conference
Scientific Conference on Calcium and Parkinson's.
On the 3rd November 2009 at the Royal Society of Medicine, we hosted the first ever conference on the role of calcium (and Vitamin D) in PD. Leading experts from the UK, USA and Switzerland who specialise in various aspects of research into the relevance of calcium to the prevention and treatment of PD gave presentations describing their current research, including on-going calcium-related clinical trials in PD.
Click here for a report of the conference
Click here for further details on the role of Vitamin D and Calcium in Parkinson's.
Medicine and Me, Newcastle, November 10th 2009
Following on from our successful 2008 Medicine and Me meeting, we co-hosted a patient meeting in Newcastle ( at the Newcastle General Hospital) with the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) and Newcastle University. The meeting was hosted by Professor David Burn, chair of the movement disorders & neurology department at Newcastle University and chaired by Dr John Scadding, Emeritus Dean, RSM.
Click here to read a summary of the key issues discussed
Patient Meeting Rugby, 3rd September 2009
Our patient meeting held at Rugby School proved to be an informative and lively discussion arena. If you were unable to attend the day and would like to find out about the key points discussed please click here for a summary of the meeting. Click here to download Dr Jon Stamford's presentation looking at the future of Parkinson's treatments, and in addition, you can read Tom Isaacs' speech by clicking here. If you were not able to attend our Rugby meeting, we have another meeting planned for the 10th November in Newcastle, Click here for further details.
Forum on the role of anti - inflamatories in Parkinson's.
Royal Society of Medicine, London 10th - 11th November 2008
This November, The Cure Parkinsons Trust hosted a two day conference at the Royal Society of Medicine in London where leading scientists and clinicians from around the world discussed the potential of using anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative therapies to treat Parkinson’s Disease, and most especially, to slow its progression.
The past 2-3 years have seen enormous interest in this promising field of research, and several different drug and lifestyle nutritional approaches have emerged from it which offer both theoretical and tangible, now proven, benefits.
There is ample evidence that an inflammatory response occurs in brain cells in Parkinson’s Disease. Some scientists say it is a fundamental part of the disease process, others feel it is just a response to it. Whatever the truth, many agree that this inflammation increases local damage to brain cells, and therefore accelerates disease progression. Accordingly, many are interested in using some of the many different types of anti-inflammatory drugs to try to slow disease progression, and a variety of these are also being tested in laboratories and clinics around the world to try to achieve this goal. Other scientists concentrate on trying to understand and interfere with the uniqueness of the inflammatory response itself in brain cells (brain cells are specialized in this context, differing considerably from the inflammatory response in the rest of the body and therefore not quite equivalent to, say, a swollen knee, but perhaps similar in some respects).
Recent clinical studies have shown the blood level of urate, a powerful anti-oxidant, can influence the progression of Parkinson’s Disease by as much as 40%, even suggesting the possibility that dietary modification could soon become a standard part of treatment. Several other nutritional anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory approaches with strong biochemical credentials, and associated drug options, also currently appear scientifically promising in our attempt to delay disease progression.
Some scientists believe an over-accumulation of a protein, alpha-synuclein, in brain cells in Parkinson’s Disease, creates a localized inflammatory stimulus at the elevated protein levels often associated with the disease. Until now, there were only some immature experimental ways to try to remove excess alpha-synuclein from brain cells but, within the past month, two exciting, quite different, breakthroughs potentially capable of limiting its actual build-up in cells have been reported.
The Cure Parkinson's Trust is already financially supporting research in some of these areas and the conference provided a vivid 2-day interaction on these topics between world experts in this rapidly developing area of Parkinson’s research and treatment. Further information on the outcome of the conference will be available soon in the meantime
Click here to see photos from the conference
Medicine and Me: Parkinson's Disease
Tuesday 7th October 2008 - Key points and the results of the patient questionnaire.
Medicine and Me conferences, initiated and developed by the Royal Society of Medicine, are specifically designed for patients. These meetings bring together patients, their families, carers, advocates, patient support groups, clinicians and researchers to discuss care and research issues into a particular condition.
Medicine and Me meetings aim to provide a forum in which patient’s concerns about their illness are given top priority. The meetings provide an opportunity for patients and their families to share their experiences, to hear about the latest research and to question the experts.
Each session was introduced from a patient perspective, with discussion and commentary from a member of the healthcare community and there was a Q&A session following each themed session.
Click here for a summary of the key points arising out of the October meeting
Click here for the results of the patient questionnaire conducted at Medicine and Me.