Parkinson Research Consortium

Parkinson's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's, affecting at least 100,000 Canadians with the number of cases expected to double by the year 2050. While the ultimate cause of Parkinson's disease is unknown, symptoms are mainly thought to result from the death of brain cells that produce a chemical called dopamine.

The Parkinson Research Consortium (PRC) was formed in Ottawa in 2004 to bring together scientists with the common goals of understanding how and why these brain cells die, and applying this knowledge to the treatment of those with the condition.

There are presently no proven treatments available that can slow the relentless progression of the disease. Only through a better understanding of the basic mechanisms that cause it can effective disease-altering treatments be developed.

The PRC is composed of a select group of scientists from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa with diverse scientific talents and expertise in genetics, molecular biology, neuroscience and patient care. Our overall vision is to bring together a comprehensive group of individuals whose purpose is to eradicate a disease that currently follows an unremittingly, disabling course.

The PRC is now just over six years old and continues to grow in productivity, personnel and resources to help find a cure for Parkinson's disease.

The main goal of the PRC is to be an incubator for innovative ideas in Parkinson's research and to generate novel findings leading to a cure for this devastating disease. It does so by promoting and encouraging synergistic interactions between scientists and clinicians. It also brings in specialists from other areas of neurobiology, cell biology, genetics and systems biology to study the problem of Parkinson's disease. Its secondary goals are to promote awareness in the local and national community as well as to promote integration of Parkinson's disease research on a national basis.