Professor David K. Simon announced as new chair of leading Parkinson’s research committee
27 September 2022
Cure Parkinson’s and Van Andel Institute are delighted to announce that Professor David K. Simon, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States has accepted the position as chair of the International Linked Clinical Trials (iLCT) Committee. This prestigious committee sits at the head of the iLCT programme, one of the largest drug repurposing and repositioning initiatives in medical research.
Professor Simon succeeds Professor Patrik Brundin who recently moved from Van Andel Institute to lead the Therapeutic Area for Movement Disorders worldwide, in the Neuroscience and Rare Diseases division of Roche in Basel, Switzerland.
Professor Simon will be supported by Professor Camille Carroll, University of Plymouth, UK as co-chair.
The iLCT Committee, comprising leading Parkinson’s preclinical and clinical specialists, meets annually to evaluate and prioritise detailed dossiers that have been written and compiled by Cure Parkinson’s. A dossier will focus on one drug with the potential to affect Parkinson’s disease progression and each year the committee discusses around 15 different drugs, prioritising those with the most compelling evidence to progress urgently to clinical testing. The majority of these drugs have already been approved for use to treat other medical conditions, and therefore the time taken to bring potential new treatments to clinic for the Parkinson’s community is significantly reduced.
Professor Simon said:
It is truly an honour to work with this wonderful group of colleagues and to help with this extremely important effort led by Cure Parkinson’s. I look forward to working with Dr Camille Carroll and the rest of the iLCT committee on the difficult task of identifying among many candidates those agents that show the greatest promise for slowing progression of Parkinson’s.”
Professor Simon Stott, Cure Parkinson’s
Professor Carroll added:
I am delighted to co-chair the iLCT committee with David. The drive and ambition of Cure Parkinson’s, supported by Van Andel Institute, has transformed the landscape of neuroprotective clinical trial delivery in Parkinson’s. It is a privilege to work with such an incredible team to continue this important initiative.”
Professor Camille Carroll, University of Plymouth
Now in its 10th year, the iLCT Committee has evaluated more than 250 drug dossiers and prioritised over 45 drugs to move forward to clinical testing. Currently more than 3,000 people with Parkinson’s have been involved in the 14 completed and 15 ongoing trials of iLCT evaluated compounds. A recent report published by Journal of Parkinson’s Disease showed that nearly 40% of all disease-modifying clinical trials currently taking place have been previously assessed by the International Linked Clinical Trials initiative.