Trial measures dopamine to detect Parkinson's earlier

A trial being spearheaded by the Clinical Research and Imaging Centre (CRIC) at South Australia’s Medical and Health Institute (SAHMRI) is aiming to improve the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.

According to Parkinson’s Australia, there are over 100,000 people with Parkinson’s Disease in Australia and it is estimated that there are 37 new diagnoses each day, although the cause of the disease is largely unknown. By 2040, it is anticipated that 12 million people worldwide will be living with the condition.

The new trial involves injecting hundreds of participants with fluorinated dopamine (F-DOPA), a radiotracer that works by highlighting levels of dopamine in the brain when combined with MRI imaging technology.

Parkinson’s is known to be linked to a lack of dopamine in the body and therefore the trial’s primary aim is to build a unique biobank showing how dopamine presents differently in people with and without Parkinson’s thus helping clinicians improve future diagnosis and treatment.

The F-Dopa is being manufactured by a team of researchers using the cyclotron — a nuclear particle accelerator housed in SAHMRI’s underground bunker.

Researchers are looking for more people with and without Parkinson’s to take part in the trial, which has been made possible by a $300,000 donation from the Hospital Research Foundation Group. To register your interest, contact [email protected].

Image credit: iStockphoto.com/shironosov