The iLCT programme, created by Cure Parkinson’s and Van Andel Institute, is a unique opportunity for Parkinson’s experts to evaluate, rank and prioritise potentially disease-modifying treatments for clinical trial in people with Parkinson’s.

Set up in 2012, the iLCT initiative is a global drug selection programme focused on speeding up the search for disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson’s, with the ultimate aim of making these treatments a reality for people living with Parkinson’s. Once a year, Cure Parkinson’s and Van Andel Institute host a two-day meeting, convening a committee of over 20 world-leading Parkinson’s experts. The committee are presented with dossiers of 15-20 drugs with the potential to modify the progression of Parkinson’s. The committee use these dossiers to evaluate and rank the drugs, with the highest ranking becoming ‘prioritised’ for clinical testing in people with Parkinson’s.

History of iLCT

Between 2012 and 2024, 239 dossiers have been presented to the iLCT committee, representing 171 unique agents. Initially, the committee was formed to review repurposed drugs – drugs that are already approved from the treatment of other conditions. The benefit of repurposed drugs is that extensive safety information is already known, alongside the actual experiences of people taking the medications for other conditions – meaning their pathway into clinical trials for Parkinson’s is accelerated. However, in recent years, the committee have begun to evaluate newer drugs that are in development for use in Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative conditions.

Read the recent iLCT paper: Twelve Years of Drug Prioritization to Help Accelerate Disease Modification Trials in Parkinson’s Disease

There are numerous agents that seem quite promising for potential disease modification in Parkinson’s, and so it’s important to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each agent in the context of others when choosing which should be prioritized for moving forward in clinical trials in Parkinson’s. The iLCT committee has done an outstanding job with this difficult task. I’m honored to be part of this remarkable team.

Professor David K. Simon, iLCT chair

Collaborations

Cure Parkinson’s collaborates with other organisations to fund and support trials: Van Andel Institute (VAI) and the John Black Charitable Foundation as well as support from other organisations such as The Michael J Fox Foundation and Parkinson’s UK. When funding is sought, Cure Parkinson’s often invests in additional studies to improve the main trial; for example, sub-studies evaluating new measurement methods, genetic testing, or biomarker assessment. This approach has proven extremely worthwhile, with Cure Parkinson’s and its funding partners investing £10.3 million so far, as well as leveraging funding from outside sources for trials of the most important potential treatments prioritised by the iLCT committee.

The prioritisation of potential treatments for Parkinson’s often leads to 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.

More information
The International Linked Clinical Trials Committee Our iLCT clinical trials The International Linked Clinical Trials programme: latest updates