World Parkinson’s Day is on April 11th and Australian Health Journal spoke with Professor Simon Lewis of the Brain And Mind Centre, University of Sydney and CEO and Founder of Shake It Up Australia Foundation, Clyde Campbell.

Parkinson’s affects people under 50 as well as those over 50. Those that are under 50 make up approximately 30% of cases. A cure is yet to be found. As part of the Linked Clinical Trials Initiative, a number of Institutes and Foundations including Shake It Up and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research collaborate to determine areas to focus research in the search for a cure for Parkinson’s.

Professor Lewis speaks about the research into Parkinson’s using existing drugs for other conditions. He also talks about the current treatments available including Deep Brain Stimulation.

About the Linked Clinical Trials Initiative (LCT):

As part of the Linked Clinical Trials Initiative (LCT), a number of Institutes and Foundations including Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Van Andel Institute, Shake It Up Australia Foundation and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research collaborate to determine areas to focus research in the search for a cure to Parkinson’s.

“The LCT scientific committee prioritises new treatments once a year to identify the most promising drugs to fast-track into clinical trials, with the hope of not only proving efficacy but also shortening the time it takes for a potential treatment to move from the laboratory to clinical trials and, ultimately, to the patient.”

Find out more about the Linked Clinical Trials initiative