THE Royal Bournemouth Hospital will be playing a key part in the world’s biggest-ever Parkinson’s Disease study.

The charity Parkinson’s UK is investing more than £1.6 million in the research to unlock further secrets about the neurological disease and boost chances of finding a cure.

It has chosen Parkinson’s Awareness Week to put out an urgent call for 3,000 volunteers – patients diagnosed with PD in the last three years while under the age of 50 and their brothers and sisters.

The Tracking Parkinson’s study will be led by Dr Donald Grosset at Glasgow University and eventually link to between 35 and 40 centres around the UK. The RBH’s elderly care and neurology departments form one of 18 centres currently involved.

Consultant physician Dr Khaled Amar, who is leading the research at Bournemouth, said: “Finding a cure for Parkinson’s is what every researcher in the field dreams about.

“Tracking Parkinson’s is a major new research project and we are very excited to be involved right at the beginning.

“This study really offers hope for the future for people with Parkinson’s and we need around 60 people in Bournemouth to volunteer to help us make our vision of a cure a reality.”

The main aim of the study is to identify markers that could lead to simple way of diagnosing Parkinson’s, for example a blood test.

Researchers believe that an early diagnosis is vital if doctors are to be able to prescribe the right drugs for Parkinson’s to control – and one day perhaps cure – the condition.

The responses of people with Parkinson’s to treatments for distressing symptoms such as tremors, movement problems, anxiety, memory lapses and digestive problems will be closely monitored for up to five years.

Dr Kieran Breen, director of research and innovation at Parkinson’s UK, said: “Studies like Tracking Parkinson’s could make a huge difference and ultimately help us to find a cure.

“Finding a cure is like building a gigantic jigsaw, but we still have a number of the pieces missing. This vital new study will help us fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge.

“We hope Tracking Parkinson’s will also help us to identify people who have a greater risk of developing Parkinson’s and we can monitor them more accurately.”

Dr Breen explained that a cure would mean stopping the devastating symptoms of Parkinson’s – including mood changes, loss of smell and speech problems – in their tracks.

Study leader Dr Grosset explained: “The cure for Parkinson’s is a global challenge and all the samples gathered from our thousands of volunteers will be available for analysis by researchers the world over. This, in itself, will speed up our ultimate goal – to develop a cure for Parkinson’s.”

To find out more about how to take part in Tracking Parkinson’s call freephone 0808 800 0303, or visit parkinsons.org.uk/tracking.

Parkinson's Disease: a factfile

Parkinson’s is a disease of the middle-aged and elderly that affects 127,000 people in the UK.

Although the condition is progressive, treatment can help postpone the onset of disability for years.

In most cases the cause is degeneration of the brain cells that control movements that usually happen automatically, such as facial expression and positioning arms and legs for walking.

Muscles become stiff, further impairing movement and eventually swallowing.