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2005 Udall Centers Meeting

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NINDS Neurodegeneration Cluster Event Schedule 2005

September 20-22, 2005
Hyatt Harborside, Boston, MA

The Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence continue to carry out its mission focusing on scientific research designed to improve the diagnosis and treatment patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and related neurodegenerative disorders and on research to gain a better understanding of the fundamental cause(s) of the disease.  The Centers have exceeded their expectation to foster a research environment that enhances the research effectiveness of investigators in a multidisciplinary setting continuing to focus on the cutting edge research related to PD including genetics, drug testing, newer and better animal models and biomarkers research. 

The Centers progress continues to contribute to the knowledge base of Parkinson's research.  This progress is shared at their annual meeting, where new research directions are discovered and new collaborations are fostered.  This year the 7th Annual Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence meeting marked the debut of the Parkinson's Disease - Data Organizing Center (PD-DOC) as playing a primary role for the organization of the meeting.  Held in Boston Massachusetts the meeting provided scientists the opportunity to once again showcase promising research and new findings, often before hitting mainstream publications. 

The meeting began on September 30th with opening remarks from Dr. Diane Murphy, NINDS Program Director for the Udall Centers, who welcomed old and new investigators and led the introductions of the presentations from Center Directors.  Presentations included the translation of genetic findings to disease modifying therapeutics, the role molecular chaperones in PD and Lewy Body Disease (LBD), mechanisms of dopamine neuron degeneration and basal ganglia circuitry, and other discussions focused on increasing our understanding of the disease.  The day ended with a dinner sponsored by the non-government agencies.

Wednesday, September 21 began with more Center updates, including a report on the effects of exercise on dopaminergic vulnerability, clinical biomarkers, and the role of the mitochondrial genome on sporadic PD.  After a small break updates were provided on the minimum data sets (MDS) required for PD-DOC as well as other database information which will incorporated into the PD-DOC such as DATATOP, ELLDOPA, and QE2.  Greater than minimum data sets (GTMDS) were also discussed, and an outline of how information will be accepted into PD-DOC was provided.

The afternoon of day two focused on Scientific Sessions on Other Neurodegenerative Diseases beginning with Dr. Dennis Selkoe who presented information on research in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and how lessons from AD can inform mechanistic studies of PD. Dr. Bernardino Ghetti discussed the classification of tauopathies, microtubules and axonal transport, and reported on the clinical history of one 58-year-old patient.  Finally, Dr. James Gusella presented triplet repeat disorders with a focus on Huntington's disease (HD), including genotype-phenotype comparisons of HD patients.

The morning of day three began with a presentation from Drs. Ira Shoulson and Dr. James Gusella on Collaborative Biomarker Research where the need for standardized and clinically well-characterized specimens was outlined. The need for biomarker research for PD and the NINDS DNA Repository and the concept of lifelong participation in PD research was emphasized.  The talks ended with a presentation from Dr. Katrina Gwinn-Hardy and Aideen McInerny-Leo of NINDS and NHGRI, respectively, on how genetic testing can help confirm diagnosis.  They stressed that the discovery of new genetic factors in PD might lead to new therapies, and how a given gene can manifest differently in different populations.

A number of non-governmental organizations provided generous contributions to the 7th Annual Udall Centers Meeting including the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF), the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (PDF), People Living With Parkinson's (PLWP), The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) and the Parkinson's Alliance (PA).  The NINDS is grateful for their contributions and continuous support and would also like to thank the PD-DOC for their efforts in managing and coordinating the organization of this year's meeting, along with NINDS.

Last updated July 10, 2008