The Parkinson Research Consortium (PRC) was officially launched on October 5 with an event celebrating two organizations whose funding made the project possible.
The 11 researchers who are currently part of the consortium thanked the Ottawa Kiwanis Medical Foundation for its $50,000 donation and the Parkinson Society Ottawa for a $100,000 grant.
The consortium is a joint initiative of the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital through the Ottawa Health Research Institute. It is led by Drs. David Park and David Grimes.
Park's research, which focuses on neuronal death, is funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and a number of research awards.
Grimes, who leads the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Clinic at the Ottawa Hospital, studies the molecular genetics of Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease, meaning that cells in the brain are slowly dying. As time passes, the symptoms grow worse. It's estimated that 100,000 Canadians – including well-known actor Michael J. Fox – have Parkinson's disease.
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