We currently do not know enough about Parkinson’s disease. We are still far from understanding the relationship between the different symptoms and it is still a mystery why some people are affected and others not. In addition, the disease progression, whether it is slow or fast, cannot be predicted at the moment.

As the causes of Parkinson’s disease are still unknown, new research projects are necessary that give us new ways for prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The NCER-PD research team, in a joint effort with several national and international partners, has set the ambitious aim of majorly contributing to Parkinson’s disease research in Luxembourg.

In order to decipher the causes of the disease and how the disease develops, it is important that Parkinson’s disease patients as well as healthy volunteers take part in research projects and clinical trials. The essence of a research project is to compare the clinical results and specific laboratory analyses (e.g. metabolic substances or genetic information) of patients and healthy volunteers. Differences in the two categories can reveal important information that can lead to the discovery of disease patterns (biomarkers). This discovery can then lead to the development of new tests and therapeutic approaches that can ameliorate the current treatment options. The valuable contribution from patients and healthy volunteers is therefore very important in advancing our understanding of the disease.