Study Rationale: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with diverse motor and non-motor manifestation that progress gradually over time. Although this progression differs from individual to individual, it is not clear whether distinct patterns exist for subtypes of disease trajectories. Identifying and understanding such patterns can help us better recognize how PD progresses over time and the potential mechanisms driving these distinct trajectories.
Hypothesis: We hypothesize that we can identify distinct patterns in the progression of PD which could be driven by different molecular mechanisms.
Study Design: We will conduct our study with two aims. In Aim 1, we will explore the potential mechanisms for the progression of individual clinical characteristics. In Aim 2, we will derive comprehensive PD clinical progression subtypes by integrating clinical and molecular information.
Impact on Diagnosis/Treatment of Parkinson’s disease: Our research will facilitate stratified approaches for treating people with distinct PD progression patterns.
Next Steps for Development: Next, we will validate the identified progression subtypes with additional data sets and identify potential treatments through in-silico, computational drug repurposing.