Parkinsons Clinical Trials 2023

What Are Parkinson's Clinical Trials?

PD, or Parkinson's Disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that consists of movement problems. It also consists of rigidity, rest tremor, bradykinesia, and postural instability.

Parkinson's clinical trials aim to identify and explain factors that result in longer and more active lives for people with the disease. APDA, or American Parkinson's Disease Association, is the primary association that facilitates these clinical trials and has adequate resources to educate people about the disease.

Why Is Parkinson's Being Studied Through Clinical Trials?

Conducting clinical trials is the best way to discover the causes, treatments, and possible cures for the disease. Furthermore, drugs cannot be approved unless they are reviewed through a proper clinical trial mechanism. Hence, studying Parkinson's disease through such trials is imperative.

What Are the Types of Treatments Available For Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson's disease is usually treated through medications. The six main types of medications commonly used to treat it include dopamine agonists, levodopa, inhibitors of enzymes that inactivate dopamine, amantadine, and anticholinergic drugs.

Levodopa is by far the most effective drug when it comes to treating the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. It mainly helps people who struggle with their movements. Furthermore, it also helps improve rigidity and tremor issues.

What Are Some Recent Breakthrough Clinical Trials For Parkinson's Disease?

Here is a study that highlights major breakthroughs in Parkinson's clinical trials.

New Treatments For Parkinson's Disease, 2020 – From immunotherapy to drug repurposing, there are a number of ways to tackle or manage Parkinson's disease today. The research also stirred interest in the use of cell-based and gene therapies to change or replace the function of the lost dopaminergic neurons. All in all, there have been a wide variety of approaches presented for treating PD. However, understanding the anatomical reasons and pathogenic mechanisms for PD symptoms has greatly helped open up avenues for new treatments. It's safe to conclude that PD management will evolve significantly in the coming years.

There have also been hopes of treating PD through an experimental drug that was recently tested. However, it has only been tested in an initial safety assessment in humans and animals. The results have shown that the drug inhibits a cellular pathway that triggers and worsens the disease. Investigators are considering expanding these trials for authentic results.

Who Are Some of the Key Research Institutions Conducting Parkinson's Clinical Trial Research?

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) supports basic and clinical research on PD to determine ways to improve the prognosis. Interestingly, the center was made in honor of Morris K. Udall, a former congressman who was also diagnosed with PD.

Today, these centers carry out extensive research on the disease by first focusing on the identification and characterization process of candidates. They're also working to develop and test potential interventions and open more avenues to facilitate clinical research. Some of these centers are:

• Emory University
• University of Michigan
• University of Minnesota
• University of Rochester
• University of Alabama at Birmingham