The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) has announced an expansion of its Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) to offer free Parkinson’s disease risk screening to individuals aged 40 and above. This initiative aims to enhance data collection and screening efforts by incorporating blood testing and smell loss assessments, which may indicate early signs of Parkinson’s. Previously, these screenings were accessible to individuals aged 60 and older, but the new age criteria allow those over 40 without Parkinson’s or diagnosed within the past seven years to undergo smell testing online.

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Additionally, MJFF has introduced an extended online platform named myPPMI, enabling individuals aged 18 and above across the United States to contribute data to the long-term study. This study focuses on unraveling the biological and clinical markers of Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Kenneth Marek, the principal investigator of PPMI, emphasized the importance of engaging more participants to facilitate the development of tools and insights crucial for advancing therapies and involving a wider pool of potential clinical trial volunteers.

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Parkinson’s disease, characterized by the degeneration of brain cells producing dopamine, poses challenges in early diagnosis due to subtle symptoms in the initial stages. To address this complexity, PPMI gathers data on symptoms and biological markers associated with the disease. Notably, a biomarker test for the protein alpha-synuclein was developed in 2023, known as the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (a-syn SAA), which can detect toxic clumps in the nervous system of individuals with Parkinson’s.

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A study involving over 1,000 participants revealed that the a-syn SAA test accurately identified individuals showing signs of Parkinson’s, even among those not yet diagnosed but exhibiting positive test results. Severe smell loss was correlated with a higher likelihood of positive a-syn SAA outcomes, particularly accurate for individuals with this symptom.

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MJFF’s chief program officer, Sohini Chowdhury, highlighted the importance of expanding a-syn SAA and smell testing to foster ongoing innovation within PPMI. By leveraging the insights from health and wellbeing data collected from over 46,000 online volunteers, researchers aim to identify predictive features of Parkinson’s disease. The integration of personal data sharing through myPPMI, including test results and assessments, further empowers participants like Marty Acevedo to contribute meaningfully to the study and gain insights for managing their condition.

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PPMI’s open access dataset allows researchers beyond the study to utilize its findings, emphasizing the collaborative effort and dedication of the study team, scientists, sites, and volunteers in advancing Parkinson’s research. MJFF acknowledges the transformative impact of these collective contributions in reshaping the understanding of the disease and propelling research efforts to combat it.

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• @AFP: Scientists said they had found the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease in the brain years before patients show any symptoms, a discovery that could eventually lead to better screening for at-risk people https://t.co/rMjXZbGHoD