subject: Boost For Canadian Biomarker Research [print this page] Researchers in Canada who are involved in finding biomarkers associated with Parkinsons disease have been given a boost following the announcement that over $1.3 million is to be released to help push forward research efforts. According to a report by Ottawa-based newspaper Metro, the money is coming from the Parkinson Society of Canada and will be distributed to a number of research teams across the country.
Parkinsons disease is a progressive neurological condition that affects one person in every 500, which equates to around 120,000 people in the UK. And while many people associate the disease with elderly people, one in 20 sufferers is under the age of 40. The cause of the disease remains unknown.
A total of $120,000 has now been passed on to the University of Ottawa where researchers will continue efforts to find causes of the disease and ways to improve the quality of life for those people who have the disease and are forced to live with it on a day to day basis. The president of the Society in Canada said that with each new biomarker, drug therapy and protein, the world moves a step closer to ensuring that people who suffer from Parkinsons can enjoy a better life.
Biomarkers are playing a crucial role in the fight against Parkinsons disease all over the world and will continue to do so. The aim is to identify new biomarkers that will be able to help scientists spot a patient who is suffering from Parkinsons disease at the earliest possible stage. Biomarkers are also being used in the research relating to the treatment of the disease and the progression monitoring stage.
Work is currently going on all over the world to try and help advance knowledge of Parkinsons disease and find ways of making it easier for people who live with it. Similar research is being done with regard to Alzheimers disease and a search is ongoing to find biomarkers that can help doctors and scientists get closer to identifying the onset of the disease before it takes hold. Medications are available that can help people live with the disease, but the aim is to find a way to identify it before it takes hold.
