The impact of coronavirus on research funded by Parkinson’s UK

This extended period of lockdown, both in the UK and around the world, has changed people’s lives. There will be some positives to come out of it, but for many people with Parkinson’s, the restrictions put in place have made their symptoms worse over the last few months. Those restrictions are starting to lift, and everyday life is moving towards something more normal. 

But Parkinson’s didn’t stop for coronavirus, and neither did we. We’re supporting people affected by the condition in the ways they need right now. All the while, Parkinson’s UK has been working hard to ensure that our research projects keep driving on in the search for new life-changing treatments.

Research is a long game and there are often hurdles along the way. Part of our job is to plan for how we can move past these. No one could have predicted the global impact of coronavirus, but I believe our agile approach is allowing us to overcome some of these challenges.

That said, the current situation has led to some inevitable delays to a portion of the projects that we fund. So, while some research continues, we are also looking to restart research that’s been on hold.

For now, we have decided to prioritise research, but like many other charities the current situation has impacted our income and there is still uncertainty surrounding the future funding of research.

Overcoming challenges through the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech

We’re the largest charitable funder of Parkinson’s research in Europe, investing in pioneering research each and every year since the charity was formed 50 years ago. As part of our commitment, 2020 was set to be the year that Parkinson’s UK made its biggest annual investment in research. 

Despite current events, we remain on track to do this. We’re doing this to be able to deliver new treatments that address the most urgent needs of the community. That’s why we originally set up the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech, to fast track the most promising scientific discoveries into life-changing new treatments.

The Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech is designed to invest in the most promising projects by working with institutions and pharmaceutical companies worldwide that have the expertise, tools and infrastructure in place to deliver potential new treatments.

We have 3 early stage drug development projects active in the Virtual Biotech and despite the current challenges, we’ve been able to find creative ways to keep them moving forward.

One example of this is our project in partnership with NRG Therapeutics, screening and testing compounds targeting energy-producing mitochondria to slow the loss of brain cells in Parkinson’s. If successful, these compounds could help protect brain cells to potentially slow the progression of the condition. 

This project involved input from researchers in China and the UK, so with the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in China, researchers in the UK were able to pick it up. Later, when labs across the UK closed down, colleagues in China were starting to go back to work, meaning progress was able to continue with only slight delays.

The Virtual Biotech model allows us to be agile, flexible and ambitious and has enabled us to deliver progress even in challenging times. I believe this way of working has mitigated some of the impact of the pandemic on our vital work due to its pioneering model of working with international scientific, industry and financial partners.

Re-opening of labs and clinical research

While some of our research continued to progress, other researchers have been unable to access their labs to carry out experiments. Understandably face-to-face visits which form an important part of clinical research, have had to be cancelled. But this doesn’t mean things have ground to a halt. During this time, researchers have been busy analysing data, writing up results and discussing new ideas with colleagues and people affected by the condition, which is a vital part of the research process.

We have also helped champion research into understanding how the current situation has altered the lives of people with Parkinson’s, as well as families, and carers. The research considered all aspects of life from the impact on medication to symptoms. The results from this research will help us to provide the support needed at this time and to campaign on behalf of people with Parkinson’s and the people in their lives.

Read more about how COVID-19 restrictions impacted people affected by Parkinson's.

It is great that we are now seeing the reopening of labs and steps being taken to restart clinical trials. So we’re continuing to work with researchers and institutions to ease the impact of coronavirus on the fantastic research carried out by teams across the UK.

We fund a range of research that will be impacted in different ways. So we must work flexibly with each researcher to best support their work at this time. Some Parkinson’s UK researchers have asked to extend their funding period, at no additional cost to the charity. This means research funds do not go to waste. And potentially transformational results for the Parkinson’s community are still achieved, albeit with some delays.

Everything we do is shaped by people with Parkinson’s, and their families, friends, and carers. Together we will restart research in a way that makes people who are participating feel safe and confident. 2 important clinical trials, funded through the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech, were unable to start due to the pandemic. We are now working with researchers and research volunteers, who help shape our work, to get them going as soon as possible. 

Together we are adapting our cannabidiol (CBD) clinical trial to understand if some of the assessments could be done remotely. The trial will assess if CBD, a compound found in the cannabis plant, can treat hallucinations and delusions in people living with Parkinson’s.

What will the long term impact be?

We continue to have an important part to play to ensure that new life changing treatments are delivered as quickly as possible. Today we are in an incredibly strong position. Decades of research, much of which has been supported by Parkinson’s UK, act as the foundation on which we can start to develop drug treatments that will slow the progression of the condition. I personally believe our flexible approach to research, our determination to deliver results, and our strategy to invest where we will make the biggest impact for those with Parkinson’s will enable us to weather this storm.

That said, at the moment it is unclear what the long term impact of this pandemic will be, and the pressures are being felt across the research world. Most of the studies that have been put on hold during lockdown are beginning to restart, but the financial implications of the pandemic will have an impact on future research if action isn’t taken.

Medical research charities have seen a 38% reduction in donations on average, which means less money to invest in research further down the line. This is unacceptable for the future of research and the people that these charities support, including those affected by Parkinson’s. This is why medical research charities have come together to ask the government to act now and set up a fund to ensure that the future of charity funded research is protected.

Read more about the proposed Life Sciences-Charity Partnership Fund on the AMRC website.

We have seen incredible generosity from our supporters during the crisis, but there is still a lot of uncertainty about future fundraising.

At the moment we are protecting our 2020 research budget as much of the planned spend has already been promised to various projects. We will use our reserves to make up the shortfall in income, and ensure that ongoing research isn’t affected, but this is not a sustainable long-term solution. We need to think about the future and on the brink of so many potential breakthroughs, we cannot afford to slow down now: we need donations to keep going and ensure Parkinson’s research keeps driving towards better treatments.

The future starts today. We must keep our foot on the accelerator to drive forward our search for better treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s. We need your help to back breakthroughs in research.

Let us know what you think

People with Parkinson’s, family members, friends, and carers drive our research, every step of the way. You drive everything we do. Right now, we need your feedback. Help us to develop our communications by letting us know what you think of this article. Email us at [email protected].