Researchers at the Royal United Hospital are helping to drive a landmark international study aiming to find the first treatments that can slow or halt Parkinson’s disease.
Ruth Blackman, Pete Sinclair, his wife Sue, and Vicky Page | Photo © RUH
The hospital is now recruiting patients to the Edmond J Safra Accelerating Clinical Trials for Parkinson’s Disease (EJS ACT-PD) study – the world’s largest clinical trial of its kind.
The trial uses an innovative “multi-arm” design, testing several potential treatments in parallel to speed up the search for effective therapies.
Parkinson’s is one of the fastest-growing neurological conditions globally, affecting 166,000 people in the UK.
It gets progressively worse over time, and although current medicines can ease symptoms, they become less effective, leaving an urgent need for drugs that can slow or stop progression.
To begin with, EJS ACT-PD will investigate two existing medicines already safely used for other conditions, a blood pressure drug and a treatment for an enlarged prostate.
Among the first people to sign up at the RUH is 70-year-old Pete Sinclair from Chilcompton, who was diagnosed in 2020 after noticing changes in his movement.
He said: “I’d noticed that I’d begun to start dragging my foot while walking and my left arm would hang by my side.
“Then one evening I was eating and couldn’t hold my knife and fork properly.”
Pete saw his GP, was referred to a neurologist and had scans at the RUH to rule out a brain tumour.
“The scan didn’t show a tumour but there were enough clues for the doctors to think it was Parkinson’s.
“I was put on medication straight away which has really helped me, but as there’s no cure for this condition, I’ve been keen to take part in any trials that could identify ways to slow the progression.
“So when I found out about the EJS ACT-PD trial at the RUH I signed up straight away. It might help me now, but even if it doesn’t it will hopefully help to make a difference to other people in the future.
“I think taking part in research like this is so important – you really are playing an important role in finding treatments for conditions that could make such a vital difference to people in years to come.
“The team at the RUH have been great, so helpful and supportive. They’ve explained everything very clearly to me and answered all my questions. I can’t wait to get started now!”
Research Nurse Ruth Blackman said: “I’m delighted that the RUH is recruiting to such an important study. By testing new drugs for this condition, we’re hoping to find new treatments that will slow or perhaps even stop progression of Parkinson’s.”
Clinical Research Practitioner Vicky Page added: “We’re really excited to have been one of the first sites in the UK to open this innovative trial and I look forward to supporting other sites in our region to deliver it in the future.”
People diagnosed with Parkinson’s who would like to take part can contact the RUH Parkinson’s Research team via [email protected] or by calling 01225 825797.
They can also register their interest using a simple online form, available at https://bit.ly/3NKGTLW.
The EJS ACT-PD trial is led by researchers at University College London (UCL) and Newcastle University. It is sponsored by UCL and funded by a Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health and Care Research partnership, alongside Cure Parkinson’s, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Parkinson’s UK, The John Black Charitable Foundation, The Gatsby Charitable Foundation and Van Andel Institute.
