Genetic data on Parkinson's disease

The Cure Parkinson’s Trust Joins Worldwide Effort to Recruit 10,000 People with Parkinson's to New Web-based PD Research Community

February 2010: The Cure Parkinson’s Trust, working with US-based personal genetics company 23andMe to help recruit up to 10,000 people with Parkinson’s to join this ambitious research community. The goal is to use the genetic information of those with Parkinson’s, and online surveys completed by people with Parkinson’s, to enhance understanding of the disease and accelerate new discoveries and therapeutic breakthroughs.

“To date more than 3,500 people have joined the web-based community, and this data is providing an essential resource for researchers around the world,” said Tom Isaacs, co-founder of The Cure Parkinson’s Trust.

At the recent CPT Genetics Research Meeting in London (December 2009), 23andMe presented their research findings from the sample of 3,000 people who have signed up for the Parkinson’s initiative so far.  As a result of this presentation, vital collaboration between the key genetic research centres in the UK and 23andMe was established.

To accelerate this community’s growth, 23andMe is sponsoring up to 10,000 people with Parkinson’s to join the community for $25 instead of the usual $499. The reduced rate of $25 is due to the generous support of Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

To be eligible for this discounted rate, individuals must have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s by a physician, be willing to provide a saliva sample for genetic analysis, and agree to participate in online surveys about their experience with Parkinson’s. Participants’ data will be kept anonymous, but will contribute to a larger pool of data about the PD community that will inform various Parkinson’s research efforts over time. 

Participants have the option to have full access to the 23andMe Personal Genome Service™, which includes detailed, personalised reports across many health conditions and traits, including PD. They will also have the opportunity to share their experiences directly with others in the 23andMe Community, an online forum.

If you would like to participate, please click here and complete the form that follows.  By completing this form, you are requesting a code which gives you access to the $25 rate.Please note that you can choose not to receive the results from your Personal Genome Service and there is an opt-out box on the form.  If you opt-out, you are still able to take part in the 23andMe Community and share data through completing the surveys.  The data from your test will remain anonymous, but will be statistically important for genetics research.
We encourage you to visit the 23andMe web site to learn more about their project. www.23andme.com