£5 million for Parkinson’s research

The Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Consortium, a team of world-class researchers at the University of Oxford led by Dr Richard Wade-Martins, has been awarded £5 million over five years for new research into how Parkinson’s Disease develops and progresses.

The Parkinson’s Disease Society announced that they are the winners of The Monument Discovery Award, a new award funded by The Monument Trust, one of the Sainsbury Family Trusts.

Scientists from across the UK were invited to apply for the discovery award, with the Oxford group chosen from a shortlist of seven UK research teams by an international review panel.

Dr Wade-Martins from the department of physiology, anatomy and genetics said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been chosen as the discovery award winners. Our team of 13 include world-class scientists from the University of Oxford and two Medical Research Council Units working across a number of different disciplines, including genetics, neurology and imaging.”

The researchers will look at three key areas of Parkinson’s with the aim of discovering how Parkinson’s develops and progresses, what the early signals for Parkinson’s are and to pave the way for new and better treatments. Finding a way to diagnose Parkinson’s much earlier, combined with more effective treatments, could slow, halt or even reverse the progression of the condition.