It has been awhile since the Stanford APDA Parkinson’s Information & Referral Center published a list of all of the PD, MSA, PSP, or CBD research studies currently recruiting at non-profit institutions in Northern California. Since April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, we decided to compile the list below to encourage everyone in the wider community to participate in at least one of these studies!
As of today, there are research studies going on at four movement disorder centers in Northern and Central California:
- Stanford University
- The Parkinson’s Institute
- University of California Berkeley
- University of California Davis
These studies are recruiting those with:
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Multiple System Atrophy
- Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
- Corticobasal Degeneration
- healthy control subjects
- smell loss who do not have a Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis
- a genetic mutation in the LRRK2 or SNCA gene
- neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH)
If you fall into one of those categories, keep reading and participate in at least one study, if you are able. If you don’t know what MSA, PSP, CBD, LRRK2, SNCA, or NOH is, just skip the study. If you don’t fall into one of those categories, consider registering at Fox Trial Finder (more info below). When we say “research study,” we are referring to:
- clinical trials where there is an intervention tested – a drug, therapy, or experimental treatment
- observational studies where participants are observed over time
We’ve provided brief info on the specific studies from four movement disorder centers that are actively recruiting below.Some movement disorder centers in Northern California ONLY allow their patients to participate in research studies. They don’t recruit from the wider community. Such studies are NOT part of the list below. You can always search for actively-recruiting clinical trials by visiting clinicaltrials.gov. There are many search options including a basic search (Parkinson’s and Stanford), advanced search (Recruitment: Open Studies recruiting; Conditions: Parkinson’s; State 1: United States/California; Location Terms: Stanford) or a combination of search terms including name of trial, name of sponsor, trials with results, etc.
Another resource, requiring pre-registration (with a name, email address, and password you choose), is Fox Trial Finder. Fox Trial Finder works like a dating website, where those in search of a trial and researchers in search of participants can find each other, communicate securely, and pre-screen for matches of interest. Some of the research facilities do not have adequate staffing to enter all of their trials and all of the details of the participants being sought, so the information will not be as complete as on clinicaltrials.gov.
For good background on types of clinical trials, trial phases, why it is so important that more people volunteer for trails, etc, see this Michael J. Fox Foundation webpage.
Have fun participating in some research!
Check out the list below.
Robin
parkinsons.stanford.edu
Here’s what’s going on at a movement disorder center near you…
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
1-SU: Development of multimodal imaging biomarkers for cognitive
dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease
Purpose: Our goal is to better understand brain networks and biological markers associated with memory changes in Parkinson’s disease, and to find ways of detecting these changes before memory problems develop.
Recruiting: Primarily recruiting people with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s who have moderate to severe memory impairment, ages 50 and up. Also recruiting healthy control subjects, ages 65 and up.
Principal Investigator: Kathleen Poston, MD, MS. This study is funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Contact: Anisa Marshall, 650-723-0060
2-SU: Early Differential Diagnosis of Parkinsonism with Metabolic
Imaging and Pattern Analysis
Purpose: Our goal for this research is to develop imaging markers that will more accurately diagnose parkinsonian disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, Multiple System Atrophy, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, and Corticobasal Degeneration.
Principal Investigator: Kathleen Poston, MD, MS. This study is funded by the NIH.
Contact: Hadar Keren-Gille, 650-724-4131
3-SU: Sensory Feedback to Improve Freezing of Gait (FOG) in
Parkinson’s disease: Is an ecologically valid sound more efficacious
than other auditory feedback to improve FOG in PD?
Purpose: Testing sensory feedback (quantitative digitography, quantitative wrist flexion/extension, computerized dynamic
posturography and stepping in place both on and off medications, and for those with DBS before and after surgery) to study improvements in freezing of gait, postural control, reaction time and rhythmicity, determined via UPDRS.
Principal Investigator: Helen Bronte-Stewart, MD, MSE
Contact: Lauren A. Shreve, 650-855-4656
4-SU: Is Freezing of Gait (FOG) also manifest in movements of the upper extremities?
Purpose: Testing sensory feedback (quantitative digitography, quantitative wrist flexion/extension, computerized dynamic
posturography and stepping in place both on and off medications, and for those with DBS before and after surgery) to study improvements in freezing of gait, postural control, reaction time and rhythmicity, determined via UPDRS with a particular focus on the upper extremities.
Principal Investigator: Helen Bronte-Stewart, MD, MSE
Contact: Lauren A. Shreve, 650-855-4656
THE PARKINSON’S INSTITUTE AND CLINICAL CENTER
You can always find a list of “actively recruiting” clinical trials and studies here.
1-TPI: DISCOVERY-PD
Proteomics, Metabolomics, Lipidomics and Genetic Analysis for Biomarker DISCOVERY in Parkinson’s Disease.
Contact: The PI’s clinical trials office voicemail 408-542-5608 or email trials@thepi.org
2-TPI: iSTEP
A Phase 3, 12-week, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Oral Istradefylline 20 and 40 mg/day as Treatment for Subjects with Moderate to Severe Parkinson’s Disease
Contact: The PI’s clinical trials office voicemail 408-542-5608 or email trials@thepi.org
3-TPI: The Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) – Smell loss
Purpose: The Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) is an international observational study designed to help define biomarkers, or indicators of Parkinson’s disease (PD) progression. People who are over the age of 60 AND who do not have Parkinson’s are needed for this study that will assess the relationship between Parkinson’s and sense of smell.
Webpage to determine eligibility by taking the smell survey or call 877-525-PPMI
4-TPI: The Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) – Genetics
Purpose: The Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) is an international observational study designed to help define biomarkers, or indicators of Parkinson’s disease (PD) progression. PPMI seeks to enroll individuals with and without PD who carry a genetic mutation in the LRRK2 or SNCA gene.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
1-UCB: Functional MRI Study
Purpose: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment to examine working memory systems in PD.
Recruiting: Currently seeking healthy controls 55-75 years of age, but especially males in their early 60s.
Principal Investigators: Rob White MD, PhD, and Mark D’Esposito, MD
Contact: berkeleyneuroresearch@gmail.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS
1- UCD: A Clinical Study of Patients With Symptomatic NOH to Assess
Sustained Effects of Droxidopa Therapy
Recruiting Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple System Atrophy, parkinsonism, etc. with symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH).
Principal Investigator: Lin Zhang, MD, PhD.
Sponsored by Chelsea Therapeutics.
Contact: Virina De Jesus, CCRP, senior clinical research coordinator, phone 916-703-9174