Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) at UCL

Uncovering the roots of Parkinson's disease, together. A global basic research initiative

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive condition of brain degeneration resulting in tremors, stiffness, slowness of movement and other symptoms. Currently there are no reliable measures to track Parkinson’s progression in the brain, so clinicians rely on monitoring symptoms. Treatments can alleviate the symptoms, but do not slow the progression of the disease.

Parkinson’s disease researchers at UCL are launching three new studies to understand causes and progression of the disease, with the aim of finding new approaches to treatment. The teams are lead by Prof Nick Wood, Prof John Hardy and Prof Tony Schapira.

The initiative

Support Collaboration

Fund international multidisciplinary teams to encourage the exchange of ideas, foster innovation, and catalyze new experimental approaches

Generate resources

Build infrastructure to support the next generation of Parkinson’s research through genetic analysis efforts, training support, natural history studies, and other research tools.

Share data

Implement open science policies to ensure that ASAP-funded research, outputs, and tools can be leveraged by the broader community.

Team Wood

Prof Wood’s team will be bringing together physical chemistry, computational modelling, genetics and neurobiology in order to understand why some brain cells succumb while others are resistant to the pathological processes of the disease. By mapping the genetic and molecular processes that underlie the disease, they aim to distinguish cause and effect and deliver new targets for therapeutics, diagnostics and biomarkers of disease.

Team Hardy

Prof Hardy’s Team aim to identify and understand the genes that are involved in the progression of Parkinson’s disease. Progression is very variable, with some individuals having a rapid course and others having a longer and more benign course. Through our world-class interdisciplinary team, we hope to develop a comprehensive model of the biology of progression that will enable the foundations for future drug development efforts.

Team Schapira

Prof Schapira's team will be investigating the interplay between specific microbiome signatures and genetic predispositions (with a focus on GBA1 mutations) in the cause of Parkinson's disease. The project is based on an international effort with renowned collaborators led by UCL, namely the IRCCS Mondino Foundation in Italy, the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE) and Imagine Institute in France, as well as the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE).

The Teams

The teams are among 21 international projects receiving new funding from the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) initiative. ASAP is partnering with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to implement its programs and issue these grants. Another ASAP-funded study, led by KU Leuven in Belgium, involves Dr Christos Proukakis (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) and will investigate the genome and transcriptome at the single cell level in brain and gut, to allow full understanding of the role of genes in Parkinson’s disease.

The Network

Each team brings together investigators across multiple disciplines, institutions, career stages, and geographies seeking to tackle key knowledge gaps in the basic mechanisms that contribute to Parkinson’s development and progression. The ASAP CRN fosters deep collaboration within and across teams, with a mandate for open science and open access publication. Grantees have access to the ASAP Hub where they can interact and work in partnership with others in the network.

The Funders

We are funded by Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP), whose grant implementation partner is The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research.