NCA is to be part of a new NIHR Translational Research Collaboration (TRC) in Parkinson’s disease (PD), bringing together national expertise and infrastructure.
Our centre of excellence will be led by consultant neurologist Dr Christopher Kobylecki and aims to speed up translation of disease-modifying therapies and precision diagnostics in PD and related disorders. The PD-TRC will also drive collaborations with industry and charities, widening access to research and helping to reduce inequalities.
The Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences at NCA is one of 16 centres in the PD-TRC, including eight NIHR BRCs. It is funded by the NIHR and four charity partners:
- Cure Parkinson’s
- the Multiple System Atrophy Trust (MSA Trust)
- Parkinson’s UK
- the PSP Association (PSPA)
Expanding research
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder, which affects more than 166,000 people in the UK. But there are major gaps in UK PD research, especially in experimental medicine and early clinical trials, and ensuring that research also helps those with atypical parkinsonian disorders like MSA and PSP.
That’s why expanding research is so crucial and NCA has a long track record in PD studies, supported by leading neurologists and research delivery staff.
Dr Kobylecki runs a specialist movement disorder clinic at Salford Royal and is lead for the regional service for patients with atypical parkinsonism (including MSA and PSP), as well as being a lead for medical advanced therapies in PD. He is a member of the Association of British Neurologists (ABN) movement disorder advisory group, a trustee and chair of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Multiple System Atrophy Trust and chair of the ABN movement disorder special interest group. His research interests include motor complications of PD, cognitive and non-motor disorders in PD and atypical parkinsonism, and imaging techniques in dystonia. He is also an honorary senior lecturer in neuroscience at The University of Manchester.
New treatments
He said: “The NIHR TRC represents an exciting new initiative to drive forward early-stage trials of new therapies in Parkinson’s as well as other related conditions. I will be representing the NCA as well as leading on a work package on atypical parkinsonian disorders, focusing on developing new treatments for these conditions. I look forward to working with a group of highly motivated and skilled colleagues from different centres around the UK to help the development of treatments for these devastating conditions.”
The PD-TRC will launch with four workstreams:
- Clinical cohorts – establishing and coordinating access to a UK-wide network of ‘trial-ready’ clinical cohorts.
- Stratification and outcome measures – developing, validating and implementing robust stratification tools and sensitive outcome measures for use in early-phase PD trials
- Experimental therapies – coordinating and accelerating the delivery of early-phase experimental therapies.
- Capacity building – providing structured support to early career researchers across the TRC and supporting a cohort of future leaders in experimental medicine and early phase clinical trials in PD.