Julie’s

In the Pipeline…

With Dr. Eric Siemers=

Medical Advisor=

Eli Lilly and Compan= y

Clinical Associate Professor of

Neurology, IU School of Medicine

Report from the first World Par= kinson Congress

Major advances in med= ical research typically occur as a result of collaborative efforts. Given the complexity of biomedical research, major breakthroughs now come only rarely from a single laboratory. Given the need fo= r more collaboration and interaction in the Parkinson’s community, the first World Parkinson Congress was held in Washington DC on February 22-26, 2006.=

A unique feature of t= his Congress was the diversity of people involved. The meeting was supported not only= by the Movement Disorder Society and the National Institutes of Health, but al= so by a wide variety of patient support and advocacy organizations. These included the Parkinson’= ;s Disease Foundation, National Parkinson Foundation, the Michael J Fox Foundation, and of course the Parkinson’s Awareness Association of Central Indiana (PAACI) and Young Parkinsons of Indiana. The diversity of the sponsorship w= as reflected in the diversity of the program and attendees. PD patients and caregivers moved t= hrough the halls of the Washingt= on Convention Center a= long with laboratory and clinical scientists involved in PD research.

During each day of the Congress, sessions were divided into six types. Plenary sessions were intended for= the broad audience at the Congress. Science sessions and symposia were intended for laboratory and clini= cal scientists, and community sessions were aimed more towards patients, caregi= vers and allied health care providers. Policy sessions were aimed at those with interests in advocacy. Finally, interactive workshops and “hot topics” covered subjects of relevance to each of the vario= us interest groups. At the concl= usion of each day, a “Plenary Wrap-up” was held that consisted of a p= anel discussion of the day’s topic.

Each day was organize= d around a different theme in PD. The = first day’s topic was “What causes Parkinson’s disease?”<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Next was “How do brain cells= lose their vitality in Parkinson’s disease.” The third day was spent discussing “How can Parkinson’s disease be identified before clinical onset?”, and the final day’s theme was “How can the needs= of Parkinson’s disease patients and families be met in relieving symptom= s, improving quality-of-life and slowing progression of illness?” For each theme, a special emphasis= was placed on how the topic could be related to care delivery.

From an opening prese= ntation by Michael J. Fox to the closing ceremonies, an enormous quantity of information related to every aspect of PD was presented. The presentations ranged from high= ly complex discussions of protein changes in PD and new understandings of gene= tic findings, to the role of tai chi and the therapeutic value of creativity.

The diverse backgroun= ds of the attendees and comprehensive approach to scientific research in PD creat= ed a novel and dynamic atmosphere at this meeting that is quite unusual in the scientific community. Prelimi= nary plans are now being made for the second World Parkinson Congress to take pl= ace in Paris in 2009. One can hope that these meetings provide a synergy for research efforts that will lead ultimately t= o a cure for PD.