Irish Parkinson's Research Study

All Ireland Parkinson's Disease Research Group

Investigators:

Dr. Timothy Lynch, Consultant Neurologist, Mater Hospital, Dublin.

Dr. Mark Curran, Consultant Neurologist, Belfast.

Dr. Tim Counihan, Consultant Neurologist, Galway.

Dr. David Gosal, Research Registrar, Mater Hospital, Dublin.

Dr. Gosal has moved on to the next leg of his training to become a neurologist. Dr. Lynch says that his replacement is not yet in place, but the research is ongoing. We would like to wish Dr. Gosal well.

Dear Friends,

We are currently undertaking a momentous research project involving all individuals with Parkinson's disease in the whole island of Ireland.  Our principal area of interest involves the causes of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is a complex disorder with likely environmental and genetic contributions in every individual. Despite many years of painstaking research, little has been found.

This is changing rapidly though, and we are aiming to provide one of the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle with our ongoing study in Ireland. Hopefully, in partnership with other countries in Europe and worldwide who are currently piecing together other pieces of this puzzle, we can see the whole picture, or at least large parts of it.  It is only through this basic understanding of the condition that we can effectively develop strategies that will lead to methods of, not only halting this disease in its tracks, but perhaps even effecting a cure.

For a lot of you, this may seem intangible at the moment, but nothing could be more distant from the truth - it is not intangible -  and we are sure that some good from this will benefit some of this generation, and certainly much more of the next.

1. We are trying to obtain a representative sampling of Ireland's Parkinson's disease population.  We are inviting individuals with Parkinson's disease from the four corners of the country to participate. We know that a sizeable number of you have already participated in this study, and to you we give our heartfelt thanks! To the others with Parkinson's disease who have not yet contributed 5 mls of blood: we would strongly encourage you to participate and help Irish research into Parkinson's disease make real progress! All this study entails is freely donating 5mls of blood and answering a simple questionnaire. 

2. We are also interested in individuals participating who do not have the condition and who have no family history of Parkinson's disease.  We are using these individuals as a comparison group (Controls). If interested, if you want to help make a difference, please fill out the form and post in an envelope to:

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Dr. David Gosal,

Research Registrar to Dr. Tim Lynch,

Suite 1,

Mater Private Hospital,

Eccles Street,

Dublin 7.

We will arrange to meet you over the next few months, at a time and place to suit.

                 Yours Sincerely,

                                                                   Dr. David Gosal

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