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Non-related research sometimes bears fruit, don't become too impatient. For 15 years (1967-82) my husband was a staff scientist at the Fox Chase Cancer Center (Institute for Cancer Research in Philadelphia).....During the early 70's the staff scientist in the lab next door to Don's was looking at blood samples from various world populations, trying to identify particles that promoted antibody production. One of the interesting particles from the Australian aboriginal tribes was a strong antibody stimulant and interestingly this protein was also found in children with Down's syndrone who were institutionalized...........what does all of this have to do with cancer? Why would an MD at one of the first four cancer centers established by the the US government want to spend time and money to explore an antibody in aboriginal tribes in Australia and institutionalized Down's Syndrone children?? Unrelated research? Chop off his $$$? This is not what we are looking for............but..........two of Barry's technicians developed hepatitis....... common in the populations of institutionalized individuals........and........ Barry Blumberg was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine (about 1976 or 1977 if memory serves me correctly) for his discovery of the Australian Antigen.....which is linked to Hepatitis B...........and clearly had a tremendous impact on the health of the world. I would like to see a cure/cause/help with PD as much as any other PWP, but Barry's happenstance discovery is not an isolated twist of a basic research project and sometimes when we least expect it.........voila! We may not benefit from the "unrelated projects" funded for PD......but we may benefit from someone elses "unrelated dollars". Rita Weeks 54/9