The International Linked Clinical Trials (iLCT) programme
This unique programme of research – the brain-child of Dr Richard Wyse, Cure Parkinson’s Director of Clinical Development – evaluates, ranks and prioritises potentially disease-modifying treatments for clinical trial in people with Parkinson’s.
In 2012, Cure Parkinson’s set up the International Linked Clinical trials (iLCT) programme in an effort to speed up the search for disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson’s with the ultimate aim of making these a reality for people living with Parkinson’s. The iLCT is a global programme centered around an annual two-day meeting at which a committee of 22 world-leading Parkinson’s experts evaluate, rank, and prioritise 15-20 drug dossiers, many from other disease areas, with the potential to be repurposed or repositioned to modify the progression of Parkinson’s.
The repurposing and repositioning of medicines – medicines used or being developed to treat other conditions, that also indicate potential for treating Parkinson’s – is championed by Cure Parkinson’s and offers the opportunity to find new treatments faster and more cost effectively than developing new drugs; many have already been tested in humans and have extensive data available, for example, on their therapeutic effects, dosing and safety tolerability.
This year’s iLCT meeting took take place at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor where we welcomed leading scientists, physicians and advocates from around the world.
Each prepared drug dossier, compiled by the Cure Parkinson’s research team, focuses on a potential therapeutic candidate that has shown compelling evidence of disease-modifying potential for Parkinson’s. If one of these candidates is then prioritised by the iLCT committee, Cure Parkinson’s is granted a mandate to then move it into clinical trial for people with Parkinson’s.
As a result of the programme’s global reputation, the iLCT committee’s evaluation of potential therapies for Parkinson’s often also leads towards further clinical investigation of these therapies by other interested parties around the world.
Our goal is to ensure more potentially disease-modifying treatments for people living with Parkinson’s move into clinical trial and we welcome collaboration with this effort.
As former chair of the iLCT committee, Professor Patrik Brundin was instrumental in its early success and the collaboration between Cure Parkinson’s and Van Andel Institute has been a vital ingredient in this flourishing programme. Professor Brundin explains the role of the iLCT committee.
Priority Projects
Find out moreThe iLCT initiative already has momentum. There are now over 50 drugs prioritised, with many already in or about to go into clinical trial, and others being actively pursued. Our goal is to ensure we can commit more therapies to trial to create new, effective treatments that slow, stop or even reverse disease progression for people living with Parkinson’s.
Australian Parkinson’s Mission (APM)
In January 2019, the Australian Parkinson’s Mission – an international collaboration between the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Shake It Up Australia Foundation, Parkinson’s Australia, Cure Parkinson’s and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s – was awarded a A$30 million government grant to identify and fast-track better treatments for Parkinson’s. This innovative Australian-led programme of research expands the global Linked Clinical Trials programme spearheaded by Cure Parkinson’s and establishes a first step towards personalised medicine providing an opportunity to deliver multiple clinical trials that incorporate advanced genetic and biomarker studies in a way that has not been done before.
