MG2010 West: The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center

"When I was first diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PD) I spent 90% of my time dealing with it, thinking about it, anxious and upset. Because of The Parkinson's Institute, I spend 90% of my time living my life and 10% of my time managing and thinking about having PD." - Parkinson's Institute Patient

Our Institute exists to better the lives of PD sufferers around the country. As America's only independent non-profit organization combining research and patient care for PPD all under one roof, we are committed to changing the landscape of treatment and research for Parkinson's disease. In the 27 years since its founding, The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center has helped thousands of PD patients better manage their disease, developed new treatments for PD, and published groundbreaking research aimed to close the gap between science and practical care. We are a National Parkinson Foundation "Center of Excellence," and are funded in part by The Michael J. Fox Foundation, The National Institutes of Health, and private donors. By focusing on all three avenues of PD, cause, care and cure, The Parkinson's Institute is a powerful force in Parkinson's disease research.

Recent groundbreaking discoveries allow us to use adult human skin cells, transduce them with specific genes, and generate cells that exhibit characteristics of embryonic stem cells, termed induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These lines will be used as an experimental pre-clinical model to study disease mechanisms unique to PD. The absence of cellular models of PD represents a major bottleneck in the scientific field of PD, which, if solved, would be instantly translated into a wide range of clinical applications, including drug discovery. This is an essential avenue if we want to offer our patients a new therapeutic approach that can give them a near normal life after being diagnosed with this progressively disabling disease.

Clinical Research at The Parkinson's Institute is involved in a variety of exciting epidemiological studies that examine the relationship of environmental and genetic risk factors that may be involved in causing PD and related disorders. Disease risk factors under study include age, sex, genes, occupation, place of residence, exposure to toxic chemicals, and many others. Past studies have found use of pesticides and industrial solvents lead to increased instances of PD.

At The Parkinson's Institute, we believe in multi-disciplinary care and offer on-site services to address the needs of PD patients. Classes include dance, gait and balance, singing, stress management, and a newly diagnosed class. Understanding the symptoms of PD has also led to the creation of a physical therapy program that helps to alleviate tightness, pain, and weakness in muscles and joints. Our speech therapy is specifically designed to help PD patients achieve strong, clear and intelligible speech through the strengthening of throat muscles. Patient care extends beyond the exam room in a holistic approach to medicine. Currently we offer patients opportunities in research though clinical trials, basic research, and observational studies, so they can be a part of the progress in finding a cure for PD.