Professor Andrea Varrone at Karolinska Institutet has been awarded over USD 1.4 million from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. The grant will be used to lead a study that can advance Parkinson's research by evaluating a new tracer designed to reveal what happens in the brain as the disease develops.
"This is an important step forward both for my research and for the field in general," says Andrea Varrone , professor of molecular PET (positron emission tomography) and principal investigator at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience , Karolinska Institutet.
Professor Varrone uses a PET technique to study how neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's affect the brain.
The technique involves the injection of tiny amounts of a radioactively labelled tracer called a radioligand, which binds to specific targets in the brain to reveal different biological processes.
The tracer, [11C]UCB-1A, developed by Professor Varrone and his group, can visualise the synapses connecting cerebral neurons.
"Given that synapses are lost during Parkinson's disease, our tracer has enormous potential when it comes to increasing our understanding of the disease mechanisms and judging if new treatments can retard this loss," says Professor Varrone.
The study now being financed with this grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation involves healthy participants and individuals with Parkinson's disease, and if successful can pave the way for a new diagnostic tool.
"The results can enable earlier diagnosis and improved evaluation of new therapies and, ultimately, contribute to more effective, personalised care," says Professor Varrone.
Vital link between hospital and laboratory
The research environment at Karolinska Institutet and the imaging core facilities in Bioclinicum provide the research group with essential advanced infrastructure.
For Professor Varrone, the link between his laboratory, the hospital, and the Academic Specialist Centre (ARC) has also been indispensable.
"Our strategic location close to Nya Karolinska Hospital allows the close collaboration of preclinical and clinical research, without which we would not be able to rapidly translate new discoveries into patient benefit."
If the study shows that the method is reliable, it could prove a vital part of the puzzle in the fight against Parkinson's disease.
"I hope that the study shows that [11C]UCB-1A is reliable enough to be implemented clinically," he says. "Our aim is for the tracer to be used as a diagnostic tool and as a means for monitoring the effects of new therapies."
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research , a US-based non-profit organisation founded by actor Michael J. Fox, who himself has Parkinson's disease, is the world's largest private organisation for Parkinson's research.
Michael J. Fox was made an honorary doctor at Karolinska Institutet in 2010. The foundation has financed many research projects at KI over the years.
