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PAN Forum Summary Part 2: Tuesday Afternoon - Federal Programs Supporting Parkinson's Research. Presentors included: Lt.Col. Karl Friedl, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, spoke about the Department of Defense's Neutotoxin Exposure Treatment Research Program (NETRP). Research is conducted on the environmental causes of neurological diseases such a Parkinson's and Gulf War Syndrome with the goal of advancing research on diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s, studying ways to prevent and reduce the risk of military exposure to toxins that may cause neurological disorders. Increasing federal funding for this highly praised program from $21 million to $50 million for FY04 is one of PAN's legislative goals for this year. Dr. Diane Murphy:- Program Director of NIH Neurodegeneration Group, spoke about a new approach to planning, prioritzing and evaluating Parkinson's research at the NIH- called "The Matrix" . See more about this at : http://www.ninds.nih.gov/parkinsonsweb/matrix.htm She also spoke about new efforts to coordinate PD research taking place at a number of different agencies such as the NIH, VA, FDA, as well as research funded by the voluntary organizations, and to coordinate worldwide PD research data . The NIH will be extending its program from mainly basic science research to include translational research - applying the basic science research to develop new treatments and interventions - taking the research "from bench to bedside." Dr. Bernard Ravina - Director in the Clinical Trials Cluster (NINDS) spoke on a series of coordinated neuroprotection trials that will be conducted at a number of research centers across the US - to identify and compare the effectiveness of 12 possible neuroprotective substances. It is expected 3000 patients will take part. PD patients who have been diagnosed within 5 years and who are not yet taking medications are eligible to enroll. For more information call 1-800-352-9424. Again it seemed just about every speaker talked about the importance of collaboration and coordination for moving the research forward - between researchers, federal agencies, voluntary organizations and Parkinson's patients. Linda ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn