Parkinson’s disease research is at a crucial stage, but there are still hurdles to overcome, says an expert in the field. David Dexter, head of research at Parkinson’s UK, shares his insights with Pharmaceutical Technology. We now understand more about what causes Parkinson’s, so there are many new treatments in development. We also have better tools, like patient-derived stem cells, to test these treatments and guide their development. This is good news for the 10 million people worldwide living with Parkinson’s. Currently, the main treatment is levodopa, which has been used for over five decades to manage symptoms. There are no treatments yet that can change the course of the disease. To make progress, we need to address several challenges. First, we need more funding to support the development of these new treatments. To tackle this, Parkinson’s UK created the Virtual Biotech scheme, which funds promising treatments at early stages of development. We invest in a wide range of treatments and technologies, including small molecules, antisense oligonucleotides, antibody therapies, and gene silencing approaches. Parkinson’s is a complex disease, and it affects each patient differently. This makes it challenging to develop treatments that work for everyone. We also need to address non-motor symptoms like anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline. It’s unlikely that there will be a single treatment that stops Parkinson’s completely. Instead, a combination of treatments might be the best approach. The good news is that we now have tests that can predict if someone will develop Parkinson’s in the next 10 to 15 years. The earlier we can start treatment, the better. Another challenge is the variability of symptoms in Parkinson’s patients, which can affect the results of clinical trials. Currently, trials rely on clinical assessments, but we need to shift towards using digital, blood, and imaging-based biomarkers. This could make trials shorter and less costly. Parkinson’s UK also funds research in this area through a separate grant scheme.