Research for the Future

 Research is critical in advancing the practice of medicine. The Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre operates in conjuncture with the VCH Movement Disorders Clinic. Our world class scientists and clinician-researchers collaborate continuously and through basic and clinical research, medical innovations are constantly being developed to help transform the lives of those that they affect.

CURRENT STUDIES

POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY BRAIN IMAGING

PET is a brain imaging technique used to examine chemical function and cell behaviour in the brain. A PET scanner is similar to an MRI scanner in size and shape. In Canada, PET scanning has been approved by regulatory agencies as an investigative device, but is not used for routine diagnosis of disease. PET scanning measures the function of living cells experimentally.

This procedure involves the injection of a small amount of radiation attached to a medication. This combination of radiation and medication is called a "tracer". The location of the tracer in your brain will be detected using the PET scanner. A PET scan allows us to study specific brain chemicals, proteins and cells that provide vital information about disease onset, progression and complications.

The PPRC has a long history of applying PET to the study of Parkinson’s disease in partnership with TRIUMF, Canada's national accelerator facility and a world leader in this area.

PRINCIPaL INVESTIGATOR: DR. A. Jon STOESSL
primary contact: jess mckenzie

STUDIES:

• GBA Multimodal Study: Mutations in the GBA gene could be, in some cases, associated with PD. Understanding the mechanisms that lead to the development of PD in people who have the GBA mutation may have implications for identifying therapeutic targets in both genetic and non-genetic cases of PD. Participants with this gene will be asked to complete several scans and assessments of movement, mood, and thinking. Currently Recruiting.

• Somatotopy in PD: The purpose of this study is to examine patterns of altered connectivity in the brain in Parkinson's Disease and health. We will compare information from persons with PD to healthy controls. Participants will complete a series of scans with accompanying tasks of movement and basic games while being scanned. Recruitment is currently closed. Analysis in progress.

PRINCIPaL INVESTIGATOR: DR. VESNA SOSSI

STUDIES:

• Brain Energetics in Parkinson’s Disease: This study examines differences in the production and use of energy in the brain between people with Parkinson’s who exercise to those that do not. Additionally, this study will apply an intervention of exercise over time and study the difference before and after in people who did not routinely exercise previously. Participants will be asked to complete one or two scans, assessments of movement, mood, and thinking. Depending on their activity status, they may be randomly assigned to participate in a passive or active remotely conducted exercise group program. Currently Recruiting.

• Brain Energetics in Health: This study seeks to record information about energetics in the healthy brain. Participants will be asked to complete one scan and assessments of movement, mood, and thinking. Currently Recruiting.

CLINICAL TRIALS

Clinical trials are studies that involve investigational medicines in the hopes to modify an aspect of your condition. These medicines have been approved for use by Health Canada for research purposes to study and assess the effectiveness and safety of the intervention. Most of these studies are placebo-controlled, which means that there is the active medicine versus a “dummy pill”.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: DR. Silke appel-Cresswell
PRIMARY CONTACT: Annie Kuan

CLINICAL TRIALS:

• Botox for ET: A multi-centre, randomized, double-blind study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BOTOX versus placebo for the treatment of upper limb essential tremor (UL ET).
  Recruitment is currently closed.
  Click here for more information

NOVEL TECHNOLOGIES + INNOVATIONS

Since the discovery of levodopa over 50 years ago little progress has been made for novel therapies in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. There have been numerous attempts to improve the treatment of Parkinson's disease through pharmaceutical and naturalistic approaches, but few have matched the effectiveness of levodopa. The PPRC is committed to researching novel therapies for Parkinson's disease to improve the quality and effectiveness of patient care. Specific areas of research include:

PRINCIPaL INVESTIGATOR: DR. MARTIN MCKEOWN
PRIMARY CONTACT: juana ayala Castaneda

Studies:

• Motor App: A custom PD smartphone-based application that consists of various mini-tests of motor performance. The app takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete all sections. Currently Recruiting.

• Sweat Study: A study aiming to investigate whether monitoring sweating of the skin helps in predicting motor fluctuations. Recruitment is currently closed.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: DR. MARTIN MCKEOWN
PRIMARY CONTACT: Juana Ayala Castaneda
Email: juana.ayala@ubc.ca
Phone: 604-822-5293

Studies:

• CAMERA Study: The goal of our study is to develop a monitoring tool for in home use so that people with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s can be monitored over time in the comfort of their home. In order to create such a tool, we video record facial expressions as well as gait and balance during the study visits. Currently Recruiting. Click here to view the recruitment poster.

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive brain imaging technique commonly used by clinicians and neuroscientists to answer questions about the functions of the brain. fMRI can look at the structure and functioning of the brain without needing to inject a test substance or dye. The images obtained can be used to make inferences about brain activity when a task is carried out or when the brain is ‘at rest’. Oftentimes, a research participant is trained to carry out an experimental task (e.g., tapping their fingers, squeezing a ball while he/she is inside the MRI scanner). This is because the task is aimed at activating a set of brain regions or circuits that are revealed after elaborate image pre-processing steps to transform the brain scans into real images (also known as activation images).

Structural MRI takes pictures in a series of time to allow clinicians and researchers to non-invasively look at gross anatomical structures in the brain. They can spatially differentiate types of tissues at high resolution.

Recruitment is currently closed.

GENETICS

Genetic studies are part of an ongoing effort between the PPRC, the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and the Centre for Applied Neurogenetics (CAN). The aim is to understand the mechanisms leading to Parkinson's disease and identify genetic factors that play an important role in the Parkinson's disease puzzle.

At the Centre for Applied Neurogenetics and the PPRC at the University of British Columbia, researchers are working with the latest technologies and with international collaborations in human genetics to find specific gene(s) responsible for Parkinson’s disease. Each discovery provides remarkable molecular insight. Discoveries in genetic research will advance our understanding of Parkinson’s, such as how the disease progresses, individual responses to medication and symptom patterns. We believe knowing the root of the problem will enable us to fix it.

Our approach hinges on the participation of affected and unaffected individuals, and especially families in which two or more persons have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease or another related neurological condition (dystonia, dementia, essential tremor, REM sleep disorder).

Recruitment is currently closed.