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Participant Stories
“I feel like there is hope, great hope, more hope now than ever before.” –Peggy Willocks, Diagnosed 14 years
Recently Diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease?
If you have recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) understanding the disease, and learning about the resources available to you, are good first steps.
Are You a Family Member or Friend?
Didn’t know that you could participate in a clinical trial Clinical Trial (Clinical Study)A scientific study involving human participants to determine the safety and efficacy of new therapies or new ways of using known treatments. for Parkinson’s without having Parkinson’s? You can.
Just as Parkinson’s affects each individual differently, each friend and family member of the affected person copes with their loved one’s disease in different ways. You may find yourself doing research on the disease, trying to understand it better and seeking ways in which you can contribute to the search for a cure. One way to become more involved is to participate in a clinical ClinicalDealing with or based on observation and treatment of people, as opposed to basic science carried out in the laboratory or in animals. trial. The following are two examples of how friends or family members of someone with PD may participate in clinical research: Clinical ResearchPatient-oriented research conducted with human participants (or on material of human origin such as tissues and specimens) for which an investigator directly interacts with human participants. This area of research includes: mechanisms of human disease, therapeutic interventions, clinical trials, or development of new technologies.
- Control Groups
Many clinical trials need a control group Control Group (Comparison Group)Clinical trial participants who are given either a standard treatment or a placebo instead of the investigational drug or treatment being tested. (comparison group) of participants of who do not have PD, as a means of testing the research question being studied.
You may view an example of a trial that is enrolling non-PD participants as a control group here. - Genetic Studies
While the percentage of people who inherit PD is very small, the study of genetic GeneticReferring to a condition that is caused by a person's genes (heredity). forms of PD can assist in learning more about the more common, non-inherited forms – and thereby lead to developing better diagnosis and therapies to treat the disease. There are several studies underway that are examining the genetic factors of PD and are enrolling both people with PD and their immediate family members to do so.
You may view an example of a genetic study that is enrolling family members of people with PD here.
How to View a List of Trials Near You
To find a trial near you, Browse Clinical Trials by Location and look for this symbol { 
} which indicates that this trial is either looking for non-PD along with PD participants, or is only seeking non-PD participants. Click on the trial’s title to read more about what participation involves, and contact the study coordinator listed to ask them more about whether or not you might be eligible as a “healthy participant” (non-PD participant).
