$40-million, Five-Year Observational Clinical Study, Sponsored by Michael J. Fox Foundation, Seeks Biomarkers of Parkinson’s Disease
The Penn Medicine Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center announced that it is one of 18 official study sites for the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), a landmark observational clinical study sponsored by The Michael J. Fox Foundation, which will use a combination of advanced imaging, biologics sampling and behavioral assessments to identify biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease progression. Enrollment of 20 patients and 10 controls at the Penn Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center is expected to begin in October 2010 and will continue for approximately two years.
“PPMI will provide invaluable data on the early Parkinson’s disease process, laying the critical groundwork for breakthrough therapies that are aimed at the underlying mechanisms of disease,” said Matthew Stern, MD, professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and director of the Penn Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center.
“Penn Medicine has been at the forefront of Parkinson’s disease research and care for years. It is deeply meaningful to have been selected as a PPMI site and to have our commitment to speeding Parkinson’s solutions recognized.”
Said Michael J. Fox: “This is an ambitious undertaking, no doubt. But nothing worth having comes easily. Everything we’ve learned up to now, the partnerships we’ve worked to forge, the results of research we’ve funded – it’s all put us in position to launch this effort. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and, hopefully, get this done.”
“From the patient’s perspective, participation in PPMI is quite distinct from a typical clinical trial. Rather than helping to test a single therapy, patients and health controls who participate in PPMI will be building resources to accelerate development of a multitude of treatments for years to come,” said Andrew Siderowf, MD, associate professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, who is a member of the PPMI study steering committee and a site investigator at Penn. “We are certainly asking patients and controls to do a lot in this study, but the product of their efforts will be a cornerstone of the next generation of PD research.”
Source: Kim Menard
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine