Can studying our immune systems help combat Parkinson’s?

Resources & Tools

Author: Simge Eva DoganPublished: 18 July 2018

Prep: Cook: Serves:

This month’s free webinar from The Michael J Fox Foundation examines the role of the immune system in Parkinson’s

In the latest instalment of The Michael J Fox Foundation’s Third Thursdays webinar series, an expert panel will discuss the connection between the immune system and Parkinson’s. This episode will broadcast on Thursday 19 July at 12:00 ET.

The hour-long webinar is hosted by broadcaster and person with Parkinson’s Dave Iverson. This month’s episode will focus on the immune system and how scientists are using it to develop therapies to combat Parkinson’s.

Register for this free online resource by clicking here up to 15 minutes before the start time. If you can’t make the broadcast, you can catch up from the recordings library here.

How to choose the best nutrient-rich foods for Parkinson’s

Last Month

Next Month

Go Back

Share this story

Comments

Advances

Better results and fewer side effects with personalised DBS Therapy

Ongoing studies: better results in DBS with innovative technology

Why I promise to make poetry, not Parkinson’s disease, my daily challenge

Parkinson’s poet crafts a piece per day for year-long project

Parkinson’s podcast: losing our minds – cognition and PD

Fourth chat show examines psychological and cognitive problems

Musical therapy study to receive $20 million in funding

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is donating US $20 million to a medical trial researching the effects of musical therapy on brain conditions, including Parkinson’s. The trial will be carried out by the Sound Health initiative, a joint partnership between the NIH and The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The initiative was created to expand current knowledge of how listening, performing and creating music could be harnessed for health and wellness. Francis S. Collins, director of the NIH, said: “We know that the beat of a metronome can steady the gait of someone with Parkinson’s disease, for example, but we don’t fully understand how that happens. “If we can pinpoint in the brain how music therapy works through the use of imaging and biomarkers, the hope is that we can improve its effectiveness and apply it more broadly to improve the lives of millions of people.”

Researchers develop automated system to diagnose Parkinson’s

In an international study, researchers from the US, Germany and Austria have used a non-invasive MRI method to develop an automated system that can diagnose Parkinson’s. As part of the study – published in medical journal ‘The Lancet Digital Health’ – researchers worked with 1,002 patients and used an imaging method that measures how water molecules diffuse in the brain. This helped them to identify where neurodegeneration is occurring. Researchers hope this will help improve the accuracy of early Parkinson’s diagnoses – which they estimate to be around 58%. Dr David Vaillancourt, who led the study, said: “Our method may help to reduce the number of misdiagnosed cases in the future. Since these diseases require unique treatment plans and different medications, and clinical trials testing new medications require the correct diagnosis, getting it right is important for patient care.”

MJFF announces $10 million competition for Parkinson’s

The Michael J Fox Foundation has launched the ‘Ken Griffin Alpha-synuclein Imaging Competition’ – a US $10 million programme aiming to develop a game-changing tool for Parkinson’s research. As part of the competition, participating teams will compete in a scientific race to build a device that is able to identify alpha-synuclein – a protein closely associated with Parkinson’s. Although almost everyone diagnosed with Parkinson’s has clumps of alpha-synuclein in the brain, these are currently only visible when analysing tissue during autopsies. The competition is named after Ken Griffin, CEO of US investment firm Citadel who has given US $7.5 million funding to the programme. Griffin – whose father has Parkinson’s – said: “If we have the imaging capability to observe the pathology that arises from protein-misfolding in real time, and understand how drugs are impacting people in real time, that would be a major advance.”

All fields required

First name*
Last name*
Email address*
Enter Email Confirm Email
Country of residence*
About me*
- I have Parkinson's disease
- I am a partner / carer / family / friend of someone who has Parkinson's
- I am a healthcare professional with an interest in Parkinson's
- I work for a Parkinson's disease organisation
- Other
CAPTCHA
*
- By proceeding you agree to our
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Can studying our immune systems help combat Parkinson’s?

Resources & Tools

Author: Simge Eva DoganPublished: 18 July 2018

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

sponsored article

Advances

Better results and fewer side effects with personalised DBS Therapy

Perspectives

Why I promise to make poetry, not Parkinson’s disease, my daily challenge

Resources & Tools

Parkinson’s podcast: losing our minds – cognition and PD

Musical therapy study to receive $20 million in funding

Researchers develop automated system to diagnose Parkinson’s

MJFF announces $10 million competition for Parkinson’s

{title}

Subscribe

Can studying our immune systems help combat Parkinson’s?

Resources & Tools

Author: Simge Eva DoganPublished: 18 July 2018

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

Related articles

sponsored article

Advances

Better results and fewer side effects with personalised DBS Therapy

Perspectives

Why I promise to make poetry, not Parkinson’s disease, my daily challenge

Resources & Tools

Parkinson’s podcast: losing our minds – cognition and PD

Musical therapy study to receive $20 million in funding

Researchers develop automated system to diagnose Parkinson’s

MJFF announces $10 million competition for Parkinson’s

{title}

Subscribe

Sign in