“Findings from PPMI have revolutionized the field’s understanding of Parkinson’s biology and design of clinical trials testing potential new treatments, but there is much more to uncover,” said Dr. Tiago Mestre, PPMI principal investigator at The Ottawa Hospital. “We are proud to be partnering with The Michael J. Fox Foundation, other PPMI sites and the study’s dedicated volunteers toward a future of disease prevention and better options for those living with Parkinson’s.”
The Ottawa Hospital aims to enroll people recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s who are not yet taking medication and individuals over age 60 with certain risk factors in the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), landmark study by The Michael J. Fox Foundation- Launched in 2010, the observational PPMI study has enrolled and followed more than 1,400 participants to date, creating the most robust open-access Parkinson’s data set in the world
- New enrollment will support a seismic expansion to 4,000 in-clinic volunteers across nearly 50 sites in 12 countries by year-end 2023
- Volunteers interested in enrolling at The Ottawa Hospital can contact the study team at sreddie@ohri.ca
The Ottawa Hospital announces that it is one of nearly 50 clinical sites across 12 countries participating in the sizable expansion of the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) study from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF).
The study team at The Ottawa Hospital is recruiting residents from Ottawa, Gatineau and Eastern Ontario who were recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s but are not yet taking medication, and people age 60 and older who do not have Parkinson's but are living with certain risk factors.
Launched in 2010, PPMI has developed the most robust Parkinson's disease (PD) data set and biosample library in the world toward acceleration of better treatments, cures and even prevention of the disease. The Ottawa Hospital has been a PPMI site since 2021. It was the first Canadian study to recruit participants and has recruited 11 to date.
Today, PPMI is entering its most ambitious era yet and growing its in-clinic study recruitment from 1,400 to 4,000 volunteers through year-end 2023. Participants contribute biological samples and undergo assessments to characterize Parkinson’s risk, onset and progression.
“Findings from PPMI have revolutionized the field’s understanding of Parkinson’s biology and design of clinical trials testing potential new treatments, but there is much more to uncover,” said Dr. Tiago Mestre, PPMI principal investigator at The Ottawa Hospital. “We are proud to be partnering with The Michael J. Fox Foundation, other PPMI sites and the study’s dedicated volunteers toward a future of disease prevention and better options for those living with Parkinson’s.”
“When the Foundation started in 2000, we set out to change the game on how Parkinson’s research gets done,” said Michael J. Fox. “Two decades later, I’m proud that we have continued to meet this challenge and have become more than just a research organization, but a space where patients bring their wisdom and energy. PPMI’s expansion is about getting this done, curing Parkinson’s, boiling down to a biomarker that we can identify early on and prevent the disease from ever impacting another family.”
Recruiting Robust Study Cohorts to Predict and Prevent Parkinson’s
In order to accelerate frameworks for prevention of Parkinson’s disease, PPMI will study cohorts representative of the full continuum of disease: those not diagnosed, the newly diagnosed, and those with progressing disease. While following previously enrolled participants — some now more than a decade from diagnosis — PPMI is recruiting new volunteers:
1. People diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the past two years and who are not yet taking medication
2. People with no known connection to Parkinson’s who wish to participate as control volunteers
3. People age 60 and older who do not have Parkinson's, but are living with certain risk factors, including:
- A parent, sister, brother or child with Parkinson’s
- A genetic mutation linked to Parkinson’s (GBA, LRRK2, SNCA, PRKN, PINK1)
- Acting out dreams while asleep (REM sleep behavior disorder)
Volunteers interested in enrolling at The Ottawa Hospital can contact the study team at sreddie@ohri.ca. Learn more about the study at michaeljfox.org/ppmi.
“Tapping the power of community to expand our knowledge of Parkinson’s biology and the patient experience is how MJFF works to deliver practical results patients can feel in their everyday lives,” said MJFF CEO and Co-Founder Deborah W. Brooks, who has participated in PPMI as a control volunteer since 2010. “By amplifying the patient voice and empowering members of the broader community to contribute to a cure, PPMI promises to fundamentally alter how scientists understand Parkinson’s and conduct brain research.”
About The Ottawa Hospital
The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s top learning and research hospitals, where excellent care is inspired by research and driven by compassion. As the third-largest employer in Ottawa, our support staff, researchers, nurses, physicians, and volunteers never stop seeking solutions to the most complex health-care challenges. Our multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, attracts some of the most influential scientific minds from around the world. Backed by generous support from the community, we are committed to providing the world-class, compassionate care we would want for our loved ones. www.ohri.ca
About the University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is home to over 54,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. www.uottawa.ca
About The Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI)
The Michael J. Fox Foundation launched PPMI in 2010 to better understand Parkinson's and advance new treatments. Since then, the study has changed how research is done and what scientists know about the brain.?It is a cornerstone of our understanding of disease and has heavily influenced clinical trials. More than 1,400 participants enrolled in PPMI over its first decade at 33 sites around the world. Today, with more therapies in testing, PPMI is expanding to enroll 4,000 participants across nearly 50 clinical sites in 12 countries and up to 100,000 volunteers through its online platform. Sponsored by MJFF, PPMI is made possible with financial and strategic contributions from a consortium of 40 industry players, nonprofit organizations and individual funders.
About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF)
As the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active global engagement of scientists, Parkinson's patients, business leaders, clinical trial participants, donors and volunteers. In addition to funding $1.5 billion in research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson's research, the Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic scientists and government research funders; creates a robust open-access data set and biosample library to speed scientific breakthroughs and treatment with its landmark clinical study, PPMI; increases the flow of participants into Parkinson's disease clinical trials with its online tool, Fox Trial Finder; promotes Parkinson's awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around the world. For more information, visit us at www.michaeljfox.org, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
Join the study:
Volunteers interested in enrolling at The Ottawa Hospital can contact the study team at sreddie@ohri.ca
Media Contact:
Amelia Buchanan
Senior Communication Specialist
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
613-297-8315
ambuchanan@ohri.ca
Enrollment Contact at The Ottawa Hospital:
Shawna Reddie
sreddie@ohri.ca
