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<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Here is the March edition of the PDtrials newsletter Visit www.PDtrials.org for regular updates on Parkinson's clinical trials. Parkinson's Clinical Research Newsletter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ March 2009 www.PDtrials.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Greetings! Thank you for signing up to receive the PDtrials Parkinson's Clinical Research Newsletter. This regular email newsletter provides you with information on Parkinson's disease (PD) clinical trials that are actively looking for participants, as well as news on Parkinson's research and treatments. PDtrials is a collaborative initiative of Parkinson's organizations and is dedicated to increasing awareness and education about Parkinson's clinical trials. Please contact us [mailto:[log in to unmask]] if you would like more information about this effort. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New Clinical Trials A Cross-Sectional Study of Patterns in Early PD The primary purpose of this study is to see if cytokine (a certain protein released by cells) levels and alpha-synuclein (a certain protein found in neural tissue) levels in blood and CSF could be used as biological markers for PD onset and progression. One hundred participants will undergo five basic PD diagnosis procedures at the University of Texas in Houston. This study is also enrolling participants who do not have PD. Learn more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Spinal Shocks Ease Parkinson's in Mice By electrically stimulating the spinal cords of rodents, scientists have reversed some of the worst symptoms of PD. As long as a mild current flows up their spines and into their brains, the animals regain the ability to scamper around their cages, as if they were normal. The therapy, described in Friday's issue of the journal Science, is a potential alternative to direct stimulation, which requires risky and invasive surgery to implant electrodes deep in the brain, researchers said. Only 30 percent of severely impaired Parkinson's patients qualify for the operation. Continue à http://www.pdtrials.org/en/browse/all/view/251 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Google Co-Founder Backs Vast Parkinson's Study Sergey Brin, the billionaire co-founder of Google, says he plans to contribute money and his DNA to a large study intended to reveal the genetic underpinnings of PD. The study will be conducted by 23andMe, a company co-founded and co-managed by Mr. Brin's wife, Anne Wojcicki. The company offers a personal genomics service, in which it scans the DNA submitted by its customers and provides information on their health risks, ancestry and other traits. Continue à http://www.pdtrials.org/en/clinical_research_news/release/pr_1236871705 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Obama Ends Ban on Federal Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research President Obama lifted restrictions on funding for human embryonic stem cell research and issued a presidential memorandum aimed at insulating scientific decisions across the federal government from political influence. Continue à http://www.pdtrials.org/en/clinical_research_news/release/pr_1236702300 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Converting Cells Shows Promise for Parkinson's In a striking instance of biologists' new prowess at manipulating human cells, researchers at the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Mass., have converted skin cells from people with PD into the general type of neuron that the disease destroys. The new approach, though it requires further work, would in principle allow the brain cells that are lost in Parkinson's to be replaced with cells that carried no risk of immune rejection, since they would be the patients' own. Continue à http://www.pdtrials.org/en/clinical_research_news/release/pr_1236355639 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Naturally Produced Estrogen May Protect Women From Parkinson's Disease Women who have more years of fertility (the time from first menstruation to menopause) have a lower risk of developing PD than women with fewer years, according to a large, new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. Continue à http://www.pdtrials.org/en/clinical_research_news/release/pr_1236007400 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New PDtrials Resource is Available! Participating in Clinical Research: Questions to Ask This new publication provides people with Parkinson's and others interested in clinical study participation with an extensive list of questions to ask to help ensure that they are educated and informed throughout the clinical research process. Learn more à http://www.pdtrials.org/en/participate_clinicalresearch_how_questions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PDtrials Publishes Responses to Questions from January Webinar on Clinical Research Participation On January 14, 2009, national expert Ken Getz presented and answered questions on participating in Parkinson's clinical studies. The webinar is now available online as well as via podcast, and responses to questions that could not be answered during the webinar are now available on PDtrials.org. Learn more à http://www.pdtrials.org/en/webinar_responses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CISCRP to Host AWARE for All Clinical Research Day in Philadelphia CISCRP (The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation) regularly hosts these educational programs, which are held in metropolitan areas and are free and open to the public. They include thank you receptions for local clinical research participants, informational workshops with renowned physicians and researchers, health screenings and additional educational resources. The next AWARE for All event will be held in Philadelphia on March 28, 2009. Learn More. à http://ciscrp.org/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Parkinson's Unity Walk to be Held on April 25, 2009 The 15th Parkinson's Unity Walk will take place in Central Park, New York City, on Saturday, April 25, 2009. The Parkinson's Unity Walk (PUW), a grassroots organization, began in 1994 through the dedicated efforts of patients, families, support groups, and friends who were affected by Parkinson's disease. Their main goal was to raise awareness and fund s for research to find a cure for Parkinson's. Learn More. à http://www.pdtrials.org/en/clinical_research_news/release/pr_1233596475 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tell Us Your Story! At times, we receive correspondence from people living with Parkinson's about their clinical trial experience, and these stories are often featured in the Participant Testimonials section of PDtrials.org. If you have participated in a clinical trial for PD we'd love to hear from you. Sharing your story provides insight into the clinical trial experience that only you can offer. Please email us at [log in to unmask] to contribute your testimonial. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn