Parkinson's Disease

Clinical Biomarker Study

 

Longevity Biotech is conducting a clinical biomarker study to help diagnosis and treat Parkinson’s disease.

We are studying specific aspects of the human immune system as they relate to neurodegeneration and are currently enrolling Parkinson’s disease patients (and their caregivers). If you are interested in participating and meet the eligibility criteria – you may qualify to enroll in this study.

What can you do to help?

If you are interested and think that you might qualify:

please complete our online interest form

A member of the clinical team will contact you to discuss your participation.  Longevity Biotech is actively enrolling patients and their caregivers to participate in our Philadelphia-based study. We are seeking patients who either live in, or are able to commute to, Philadelphia to donate a blood sample, complete a clinical exam and study questionnaire. The entire study visit, start-to-finish should take less than 2.5 hours to complete and will culminate with modest compensation.

To learn more, please send us an email: clinical@longevitybiotech.com

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

Clinical Participant Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

All Participants

  • Subjects must be willing and able to participate in study
  • Subjects must be willing and able to provide written consent to participate.
  • Subjects must be willing and able to comply with scheduled clinic visits and study procedures (UPDRS exam, blood draw and complete a questionnaire)
  • Subjects are not currently taking an immunomodulatory (e.g. anti- tumor necrosis factor (TNF), immunosuppressants/stimulants) agent in the past 90 days
  • No active or recent (< 3 weeks) infection requiring clinical intervention and/or pharmaceutical treatment or febrile neutropenia within the last week.
  • 18-89 years old

Parkinson's Disease Patients

  • Clinical diagnosis of PD by a movement disorders specialist consistent with standard criteria
  • Able to attend a clinical visit in the 'off' state
  • Hoehn and Yahr stage I-IV

Caregiver Controls Only

  • Individuals without PD who share environmental exposures (i.e. spouses, children, caregivers or other individuals who frequently spend significant time (>6 hours) in proximity to the PD subject) OR age and sex matched healthy individuals from general population

Exclusion Criteria

All Participants

  • Unstable cardiopulmonary or cerebrovascular disease
  • Renal disease or failure w/ serum creatinine greater than 2.5
  • Severe or unstable depression or other axis I psychopathology
  • Epilepsy
  • Prior brain surgery related to PD (DBS, cell implantation, gene therapy, etc.)
  • Severe head injury with evidence of brain injury
  • Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) (>450,000 platelets/mL)
  • Patients currently being treated with any of the following, within the past 5 days:
  • Immunomodulatory agents (e.g. Remicade®, Humira®, Enbrel®) (within the past 90 days)
  • Corticosteroids
  • Probenecid®
  • Coenzyme Q10®
  • Anticoagulants