Editor's Note: This blog post was updated in July 2020 to reflect new opportunities.
The coronavirus pandemic is affecting Parkinson’s research. While some clinical trials have paused, there are still opportunities to contribute and advance Parkinson's research from home. Participation still matters because across all research, 85 percent of clinical trials face delays and 30 percent never get started due to a lack of volunteers. Breakthroughs are only possible with the support of study participants.
If you are considering participating in research, you can learn more on our website and check out the following opportunities:
- Fox Trial Finder is The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s (MJFF) online tool that matches you with clinical studies you may be eligible to join. Although some studies have paused, you can still contact research teams to express your interest and they’ll follow up with you when recruitment restarts. You can find studies through a guided search, or you can search on your own based on location and keyword. You also can sign up to receive email alerts about recruiting studies in your area by selecting the “I want to sign up as a volunteer” option.
- Join Fox Insight, MJFF’s online clinical study where people with and without Parkinson's share information that could transform the search for better treatments. Register at foxinsight.org.
- The University of Rochester is studying symptoms and issues that are important to people with Parkinson’s in an anonymous online survey. Responses will be used to help develop measures for Parkinson’s clinical trials and guide additional research. Learn more on the study website.
- Bastyr University is leading a study on complementary and alternative medicine care in Parkinson’s. Participants complete online questionnaires about health, food intake and lifestyle factors. Learn more on the study website.
- A study sponsored by Biogen is recruiting 30 people diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the last three years to complete 90-minute phone interviews to discuss symptoms and experiences. The purpose of the study is to collect information to guide the development of questionnaires for clinical trials testing new Parkinson’s treatments.
Learn more about the vital role you can play in research at michaeljfox.org/participate.
Visit our COVID-19 Resource Hub for information to support you and your loved ones through this challenging time.
