The Advisory Council on Parkinson’s Research, Care, and Services (ACPRCS) met in Washington, D.C., on November 9, 2026, for its third public meeting. The team from American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) attended the meeting in-person to hear the discussions and presentations first-hand and report the latest back to our Parkinson’s community.
The meeting highlighted how partnerships across government, research institutions, nonprofit organizations, industry, and the Parkinson’s community can help accelerate progress toward better diagnostics and treatments for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and related disorders.
Below are key takeaways from the meeting and ways you can continue to inform the Council’s efforts as it works to develop the National Plan to End Parkinson’s, a national strategy to prevent, diagnose, treat, and ultimately cure Parkinson’s disease.
November 9 ACPRCS Meeting: What You Need to Know
The November meeting focused on progress in Parkinson’s and related disorders through partnerships, spotlighting efforts to translate scientific discoveries into new diagnostic and treatment options.
Key highlights included:
- Remarks from PD Congressional Champions. Representative Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Representative Paul Tonko (NY-20), Senator Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Senator Chris Murphy (CT), and former U.S. Representative Jennifer Wexton (VA 10), provided opening remarks at the ACPRCS meeting. These PD Congressional Champions expressed the importance of establishing clear, measurable goals in the National Plan and the need to support access to care.
- Moving research discoveries into real-world use. Presenters highlighted examples of research that has advanced toward clinical application, including deep brain stimulation, imaging technologies, alpha-synuclein seed amplification assays, and MRI-based diagnostic tools.
- Improving our understanding of Parkinson’s biology and genetic risk. The Council heard about large-scale collaborative research efforts, including Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s, the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program, and research focused on the genetics of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).
- Building better, more efficient clinical trials. Researchers discussed approaches to make clinical trials more informative, efficient, and cost-effective. The session featured initiatives including the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), platform trial approaches, and federal biomarker programs.
- Harnessing the power of public-private partnerships. A session on the NIH Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) highlighted how federal agencies, industry, nonprofit organizations, and other partners can work together to accelerate research and therapeutic development for Parkinson’s and related disorders.
- Including the voices of people with lived experience. Perspectives from people with lived experience were incorporated into discussions, and the meeting included a dedicated public comment period to provide another opportunity for the Parkinson’s community to inform the Council’s work.