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Australian Parkinson's Mission

Improving quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s — and discovering how to slow, stop and cure the disease.

Close up 3D image of neurons

The Australian Parkinson's Mission (APM) is an innovative seven-year research program, combining clinical trials and biomarker technologies with breakthrough genomics for people living with Parkinson's disease.

We hope to identify and validate a precision medicine framework for treating and preventing Parkinson's disease. 

The APM was conceived as an Australian-led international collaboration between the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Shake It Up Australia Foundation, the University of Sydney, the Cure Parkinson’s Trust (UK), The Michael J. Fox Foundation (USA) and Parkinson’s Australia.

In 2019 the APM received $30 million in Federal funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to slow and stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

How to get involved

To register your interest with the APM please contact: info@theapm.org.au

To find information about the participating clinical trial sites please check the clinical trial locations tab.

APM Clinical Lead

Professor Simon Lewis

Simon Lewis is a Consultant Neurologist, an NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Professor of Cognitive Neurology at Macquarie University. He has published over 300 peer review papers, 2 books and 8 book chapters and has helped to attract over $10 Million in funding from various sources including the NHMRC, MRFF, ARC and Michael J Fox Foundation to support his research targeting Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia with Lewy Bodies and related conditions.  He is the Clinical Lead for the Australian Parkinson's Mission.

profsimonlewis@gmail.com

APM Scientific Lead

Professor Glenda Halliday

Glenda Halliday is a career neuroscientist known internationally for her research on the progression of non-Alzheimer dementias and motor neurodegenerative diseases. Her studies have provided the evidence base for understanding the pathologies underlying non-Alzheimer neurodegenerative diseases, clarifying the trajectory of these diseases over time and exploring any potential variability. She has >670 publications, is a highly cited researcher (Clarivate Analyticals) and has been recognised by membership to the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and an Order of Australia, as well as through the following and other awards; 2022 NSW Scientist of the year, 2021 Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson’s Research by the Michael J Fox Foundation, 2020 and 2014 NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Awards, 2016 Cozzarelli Prize for outstanding 2015 paper, National Academy of Sciences, USA; 2011 Nina Kondelos Prize for outstanding neuroscience, Australian Neuroscience Society. She is the Co-Scientific Lead for the Australian Parkinson's Mission.

glenda.halliday@sydney.edu.au

APM Scientific Lead

Professor Antony Cooper

Antony Cooper is the Research Director of the Australian Parkinson’s Mission (APM) at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, and a conjoint Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales-Sydney. Antony graduated with a 1st class Science Honours degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology at the University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand), and a Commonwealth Scholarship funded his PhD at McGill University (Montreal, Canada). His post-doctoral research was conducted at the Institute of Molecular Biology at the University of Oregon (USA) prior to being an Assistant Professor, then tenured Associate Professor at the University of Missouri (USA). 

a.cooper@garvan.org.au

APM Biobank Director

Dr Nicolas Dzamko

Dr Dzamko is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sydney with 15 years postdoctoral experience in biochemistry and molecular biology. He has considerable experience in immune system dysfunction impacting the neurodegenerative condition of Parkinson’s disease (PD). He currently leads a research team using induced pluripotent stem cells and primary human biosamples to understand the causes of Parkinson’s disease (PD), facilitate new treatments and identify much needed biomarkers. Nic has made key discoveries involving the major PD-implicated genes LRRK2 and GBA1 that have led to biomarkers being developed for clinical trials, and he has developed stem cell models to understand the biological pathways implicated in PD. He has 69 career publications (H index=36, i10 index=51, Google). He has received funding from the NHMRC and 25 internationally competitive grants from the US based MJ Fox Foundation for PD research. 

nicolas.dzamko@sydney.edu.au

APM CT Director

Jacqueline Everett

Since 2000, Jacqui has worked to regulatory and ethics / governance requirements in different regions from South East Asia, New Zealand, India, UK and USA delivery pivotal clinical trials. Jacqui has led international clinical trials for the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organisations before moving into Australia’s academic research sector where her skills have expanded into clinical governance and directing multicentre research programs for not for profit clients from inception. Throughout her career Jacqui has managed over $50M in clinical trial funding across 15 countries and 125 sites covering multiple therapeutic areas all while bringing five drugs to market.

info@theapm.org.au

j.everett@theapm.org.au

The Australian Parkinson's Mission is conducting a seven-year Australian clinical trials program using repurposed drugs (potentially disease modifying drugs that could slow, stop or reverse Parkinson’s progression), integrated with transformative research, to identify and fast-track effective treatments for people with Parkinson’s.

Clinical trial site locations

The Australian Parkinson’s Mission clinical trial (APM002) is open for participant enrolment and recruitment. To determine whether you are eligible to participate in the clinical trial, please contact the closest site in your state.

Site

Contact name

Address

Phone/email

St Vincent’s Hospital

Associate Professor Stephen Tisch, Consultant Neurologist

St Vincent's Hospital

390 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2010

svhs.neurologytrials@svha.org.au

valerie.bramah@svha.org.au

+61 (2) 8382 4977

Parkinson’s Disease Research Clinic (Macquarie University)

PI: Professor Simon Lewis

Study Coordinators:

Karl Aoun

Stacey West

75 Talavera Road

Macquarie Park

NSW 2113

 

karl.aoun@mq.edu.au

+61 (2) 9850 2744

stacey.west@mq.edu.au

+61 (2) 9850 2755

John Hunter Hospital

PI: Dr Elizabeth Pepper

Gillian Harris, Study Coordinator

2 Lookout Road, New Lambton NSW 2305

+61 (2) 4985 5442

gillian.harris@health.nsw.gov.au

Southern Neurology (Kogarah)

A/Prof Raymond Schwartz
Melissa Jones Murphy

2/19 Kensington Street
Kogarah NSW 2217

+61 (2) 8566 1500

clinical.trials@southern-neurology.com.au

The Alfred Hospital

PI: Professor Kelly Bertram

Study Coordinators:

Beth Sutherland

Alfred Hospital
55 Commercial Rd
Melbourne VIC 3004

b.sutherland@alfred.org.au

0487 531 448

 

Royal Melbourne Hospital

Associate Professor Andrew Evans, Principal Investigator

Reena Chopra, Study Coordinator

300 Grattan St, Parkville
VIC 3052

andrew.evans@mh.org.au

Reena.Chopra@mh.org.au

Royal Adelaide Hospital

PI: Dr Michele De Sciscio
Nurse Consultant/SC: Lynda Huddy

Level 9G 370 Royal Adelaide Hospital Port Road
Adelaide SA 5000

lynda.huddy@sa.gov.au

Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service

Dr Saman Heshmat
Research Nurse: Mr Berzenn Urbi

Coordinator: Vincent Sapaen

Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service
1 Hospital Blvd.
Southport QLD 4215

+61 (7) 5687 3893

0417 221 342

Please note: some sites may have additional processes e.g. wearing a mask. Please contact the site directly for further information.

If you're interested in participating in the APM002 clinical trial, you will first have to undergo a screening process to determine if you qualify for the trial. Screening may begin over the phone with your closest site. When you contact the site to be screened, there may be a short wait. Please be patient during this time.

Diagnosing Parkinson’s disease may involve the following steps:

  1. Medical history: A doctor reviews your symptoms and medical history.

  2. Neurological examination: A thorough examination by a neurologist.

  3. Blood or Imaging tests: Blood, MRI, CT scans, SPECT, may be used.

  4. Clinical features: Detecting specific features like rest tremor, stiffness, and slowness.

For recruitment into APM002, the Site Investigators may require a letter from your treating physician or specialist which outlines your Parkinson’s diagnosis. If this is not available, in some cases the Site Investigators may seek further assessments to confirm your diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease.

The APM encourages all PD patients to have their annual physical examination and GP check-up to ensure wellness / good health by monitoring your vital signs like weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and other markers.

  • For more information regarding yearly health checks please click here.



The APM research program uses repurposed drugs (potentially disease modifying drugs that could slow or stop Parkinson’s progression), integrated with genomics research. The APM aims to identify and fast track effective treatments to people with Parkinson’s. The APM program is running over seven years, with the recruitment for the clinical trial having begun in June 2020.

The APM is undertaking a review of Parkinson’s Disease sites across Australia that are clinical trial ready and would be interested in participating in clinical research. If you would like to find out more on how to register your sites interest, please contact Jacqueline Everett, Director, Clinical Trials on info@theapm.org.au

We would particularly like to hear from Parkinson’s Disease sites:

• Situated within a University facility, public teaching hospital and/or private hospital;

• With a comprehensive Parkinson’s Disease (PD) program, offering a full range of specialist outpatient and in patient consultant assessments and treatments, led by a movement disorder specialist;

• That have an appropriate level of personnel and infrastructure;

• A proven track record of participation in PD clinical trials, with a high standard of recruitment and compliance with study procedures;

• Who have qualified raters with the necessary certification from MDS and MOCA or who meet the criteria to be certified; and 

• Have the ability to adhere to Lab Manual specifications via external contracting or inhouse processing of the site samples as well as storage of biological specimens

Collaborations 

For clinicians, scientists and industry partners who are interested in receiving more information about the Australian Parkinson's Mission and potentially working with us, please contact: info@theapm.org.au

News updates

  • Clinical trial (APM002) update: 8 January 2024

    Recruitment for the second Australian Parkinson’s Mission clinical trial (APM002) has begun. For information regarding site locations for APM002, please click on the Clinical trial locations tab.

  • Clinical trial update: 8 May 2023
    Recruitment for the Australian Parkinson’s Mission clinical trial (APM001) will come to an end in December 2023. Information regarding the second Australian Parkinson’s Mission clinical trial (APM002) will be posted as soon as it’s available.

    Clinical trial update: 29 October 2020

    We are pleased to announce the Australian Parkinson’s Mission clinical trial (APM001) has now commenced, with eight sites across Australia (in NSW, VIC, SA, WA and QLD), opening for participant enrolment and recruitment beginning in the upcoming months. (Please note that some centres have already started screening and recruiting participants while other centres will begin in the near future).

    Each site will continue enrolment and recruitment activities for 12 months from the initial start date.The first clinical trial, APM001, will end recruitment in December 2023

    New partner: 25 October 2019

    We are excited to announce that the University of Sydney will join the APM as a partner, joining the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, The Cure Parkinson’s Trust, Shake It Up Australia, Parkinson’s Australia and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The University of Sydney is one of Australia's leading higher education and research universities and will bring critical expertise to the program.

    Media release: 30 January 2019

    The Australian Parkinson’s Mission, an innovative program combining clinical trials with genomics research for people with Parkinson’s, has received $30 million in Federal Government funding, the most significant investment in Australian Parkinson’s research.

    The funding, announced by Federal Minister for Health, The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, will enable the Australian Parkinson’s Mission to identify desperately needed disease modifying drugs with the potential to slow the progression of Parkinson’s.

Frequently asked questions

    • Male or female aged 25 to 80 (inclusive)
    • Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease
    • Stable on dopaminergic Parkinson’s disease treatment for at least four weeks.
    • Participants will undergo whole genome sequencing and analysis to identify the genomic variations contributing to their disease and inform clinicians which patients are most likely to respond to each of the treatments being trialled.
    • Receive one of the three experimental treatments for Parkinson’s Disease. These treatments are currently being used for the treatment of other diseases; they are therefore known as repurposed medicines. You will receive either one of the repurposed medicines or a placebo (a placebo is a medication with no active ingredients).
    • Undertake a physical examination, measurement of vital signs (heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure), electrocardiogram (ECG) as well as your weight and height.
    • Have standard blood tests (e.g. cell counts, blood chemistry, blood sugars, pregnancy test) plus provide a collection of blood, saliva and urine for biomarker and genomic research
    • Complete a number of Parkinson’s disease assessments at each visit of the five visits.
    • New South Wales – Sydney
      • Brain and Mind Centre
      • St Vincent’s Sydney
      • Southern Neurology
    • Victoria – Melbourne
    • South Australia - Adelaide
    • Queensland – Gold Coast

    Further information about clinical trial locations.

  • There is no cost associated for the participants of the Australian Parkinson’s Mission. The costs of the trials have been funded through the Federal Government and philanthropic contributions.

    Patients participating in the clinical trial will be reimbursed for travel related expenses as approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee.

  • The APM provides an opportunity for people to be involved in a variety of ways.

    Registering your interest is your opportunity to contribute to the APM program.

    Subscribe for APM Updates and we'll keep you informed as the program develops.

  • A clinical trial is a research investigation in which people volunteer to trial new treatments, interventions, drugs and tests to find better ways to prevent, screen for, diagnose or treat disease.

  • By the time a new drug reaches the clinical trial stage, it has already been extensively tested in a laboratory session for side effects and patients are carefully monitored by doctors and nurses during the trial period. However, when testing a new drug, one of the purposes of the trials is to deem whether there are any problems or side effects.

    For the first clinical trial, the drugs being trialled for the Australian Parkinson’s Mission are not new drugs, but have been repurposed for this program.    

  • A repurposed drug is a drug that has already been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) – a division of the Australian Government’s Department of Health – for one disease. A repurposed drug means that same drug is used again in a clinical trial to see whether it can help people with another disease. Repurposed drugs have already been through clinical trials for another disease, and have been demonstrated as safe in healthy volunteers.

  • New drug development is a long and costly procedure. From the time a new compound is discovered, it can take upwards of a decade and billions of dollars before it is available on the market. By using drugs that already have passed rigorous safety and toxicology trials, the Australian Parkinson’s Mission aims to significantly cut the amount of time it takes for a potential treatment to move from the laboratory to clinical trials and, ultimately, to the patient. 

  • Off-label drug use is a broad term that refers the unapproved use of an approved drug. Drugs that have been approved by the TGA have been approved for a specific disease or particular uses – any deviation from this is considered off-label use.

  • When medically appropriate, medical practitioners can, and do, prescribe medication for off-label use. However, just because a drug is safe for a person with one condition, safety cannot be assumed for a person with a different disease or health issue.

    Given the chronic nature of Parkinson’s disease, a new drug must be tolerated over an extended period of time, most likely for life, and the safety, tolerability and efficacy of a drug can only be determined after extensive clinical trials.

    It is essential these treatments are evaluated for safety in Parkinson’s and that you and your doctor have rigorous scientific evidence on which to base your treatment decisions. This will hopefully avoid potential harmful effects and adverse health outcomes.

  • Our genome is the complete set of genetic information we inherit from our parents, encoded within 2m of DNA packed tightly into each of our cells as chromosomes. A human genome is approximately 6 billion bases, or letters of DNA code. Genomics is the study of the structure and function of the genome of an organism.

    Find out more in this explainer: Anatomy of a gene

  • DNA sequencing is a laboratory technique used to determine the sequence of units or bases in a DNA molecule. Sequencing methods have changed over time; the machines used by Garvan’s Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics use complex chemistry and high-resolution optics to determine the sequence.

    The DNA sequence is a series of letters – As, Cs, Gs, and Ts – that represent the order of base pairs in a person’s DNA. The sequence of a single human genome has approximately 6 billion letters to read and interpret. In a sequencing laboratory, machines break the DNA up into manageable segments and read the order of the DNA bases or letters. Computers are then used to compare the DNA sequence with other sequences to locate the differences or variants.

  • A cohort is a group of people who share one or more important characteristics. Cohort studies usually focus on a group over time and help researchers learn about how a range of factors affect health and disease. In a genomic cohort, the genome of each individual is sequenced in order to compare it with others, both within in the cohort and beyond.

Ask the MD: Repurposed Therapies and Parkinson's Disease