More than 3,000 volunteers are needed in a groundbreaking clinical study on Parkinsons disease.

IT WAS announced on BBC radio recently that the worlds biggest study into the cause of Parkinsons disease will take place soon. It will be headed by Dr Donald Grosset, a neurologist at Glasgow University in Scotland.

According to the BBC report, Parkinsons disease affects almost 130,000 people in Britain. Parkinsons disease is a debilitating condition. Its symptoms include tremors, mood changes, difficulties in movement, loss of smell and speech problems.

Dr Grosset hopes the milestone research will be able to find better ways of diagnosing and treating the disease. Parkinsons UK is investing more than 1.6mil (RM8mil) in the Tracking Parkinsons study with the long-term aim of boosting the chances of finding a cure.

The 3,000 volunteers include those who have been recently diagnosed with the disease, those who were aged under 50 at diagnosis, and their siblings.

The purpose of the research is to identify markers in the blood which could be used to create a simple diagnostic test for the disease, something which currently does not exist.

Parkinsons medical experts say early diagnosis is crucial for doctors to be able to prescribe the right drugs for people with the condition.

The BBC adds that the responses to various treatments of those taking part in the study will be closely monitored for up to five years.

The project will eventually be linked up to 40 research centres across Britain. Dr Grosset says the cure for Parkinsons disease is a global challenge.

All the samples gathered from our thousands of volunteers will be available for analysis by researchers the world over, he adds.

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Tracking Parkinson’s