Dundee researchers bring pioneering Parkinson’s trial to local patients
Dundee researchers are taking part in a major international clinical trial exploring whether a more personalised approach to treating Parkinson’s disease could help slow its progression.
The University of Dundee is one of a select group of international sites participating in the NEULARK Phase 2 clinical trial, which is testing a precision medicine approach for people whose Parkinson’s is linked to a particular biological pathway.
And behind the trial is years of painstaking research by Dundee scientists into a protein called LRRK2 and the role it can play in Parkinson’s disease.
The hope is that by identifying the underlying biology driving an individual person’s condition, treatments could eventually be targeted at the patients most likely to benefit from them.
The right treatment for the right person
More than 150,000 people in the UK are living with Parkinson’s, but there are currently no approved therapies that can slow the progression of the disease.
Researchers increasingly believe Parkinson’s is not one single biological condition, but instead consists of multiple subtypes.
The NEULARK trial focuses on people with evidence of overactivity in LRRK2, a protein kinase which can play an important role in Parkinson’s. Mutations affecting LRRK2 are the most frequent cause of inherited Parkinson’s disease.
Rather than taking a traditional one-size-fits-all approach, participants are selected because their genetics suggest they could be more likely to benefit from the investigational treatment.
Dr Esther Sammler, who is leading the Dundee trial, said: “Parkinson’s is not the same disease in everyone.
“People have different symptoms, the rate of progression changes and I think what we are now understanding increasingly is that there’s a vast difference in the underlying disease biology for people.”
She added: “That is what personalised medicine is. We want to find the right treatment for the right person.”
Years of Dundee research
Scientists at the University’s Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC-PPU) have played an important role in developing the understanding of LRRK2.
Professor Dario Alessi, director of the MRC-PPU, described LRRK2 as a “master enzyme” involved in an important pathway driving the biology of Parkinson’s disease.
For patients whose Parkinson’s is driven by LRRK2 genetics, researchers know that this pathway is too active.
That has allowed potential therapies to be developed which specifically target it.
Professor Alessi said: “The hope is that we can slow the progression of the disease down or even maybe halt the progression of the disease by giving these patients the opportunity to participate in such trials.”
‘This trial gives me hope’
Among those participating is Tony Hindhaugh from Ullapool, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2025 after noticing a twitch in his shoulder.
His symptoms remain mild, with a tremor currently the main visible sign of his condition, but he chose to take part because of the targeted nature of the trial.
Tony said: “The reason I wanted to get involved with this trial is that it is specific, very direct and very targeted.”
He added: “Overall, this trial gives me hope. I’m not unrealistic – I know my Parkinson’s is not going to be cured – but I fully understand that a targeted medication could be a lot better to a specific problem.”
From Dundee research to patients
The trial is sponsored by Neuron23 and is investigating whether targeting the LRRK2 pathway in patients showing evidence of its overactivity could provide a more personalised approach to treatment.
It remains an investigational therapy and the trial is designed to establish whether the approach is effective.
But it also marks an important next step for research that has been developed over many years in Dundee – taking understanding of the biology behind Parkinson’s and using it to explore treatments tailored to individual patients.
For the Dundee researchers involved, the ultimate goal is simple: the right treatment, for the right person.
