A substantial portion of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) have a family history of the disease, and new findings continue to improve our understanding of relevant genetic variants. These discoveries are key for clarifying the mechanisms that lead to Parkinson's disease as well as the development of new therapies. The Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2) was established to gather and integrate genetic and clinical data from diverse participants around the world to expand our knowledge of the genetic architecture of PD. In this episode, Dr. Christine Klein discusses her experiences as Co-Leader of the Monogenetic Network of GP2, including the early days of setting up this large-scale collaboration, important achievements to date, and priorities and considerations going forward. She also shares recent findings from her own research on genetic variants related to Parkinson's disease. Christine is Director of the Institute of Neurogenetics and of the Section of Clinical and Molecular Neurogenetics at the Department of Neurology, as well as the Schilling Professor of Neurology at the University of Lübeck in Germany. She is also Co-Director of the Monogenetic Network of GP2. 

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This podcast episode was part of a limited series created by The Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2023 and 2024 for clinicians and researchers in our audience.  These episodes provide a deeper dive into exciting new scientific research in Parkinson’s disease, as well as innovative tools and valuable resources, through conversations with a variety of experts in the field. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

The Foundation’s landmark research study is exploring the connection between sense of smell and brain disease. People with and without Parkinson's can help by taking a free scratch-and-sniff test. Get yours at mysmelltest.org/request.