Our objective is to participate as a clinical center in a national multi-center trial of neuroprotective agents in Parkinson's disease (PD). Over the course of the next five years, we plan to enroll at least two patients per month into these clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of (yet to be determined) agents for neuroprotection of patients with Parkinson's disease. These patients will be recruited from the Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine; movement disorders clinic at Ben Taub General Hospital; and, with recruiting efforts in conjunction with local Parkinson's disease support groups. These patients will be evaluated in depth to ensure they meet the criteria for the studies, carefully evaluated with agreed-upon clinical measures and medically monitored to ensure their safety and well-being during the course of the study. We will perform as much of the evaluation as possible at our campus in the Texas Medical Center, but will cooperate fully and enthusiastically to enable evaluations done at cooperating institutions. We will lend our expertise, experience and time to help develop these clinical protocols. We will record complete and accurate data as agreed upon in the study protocols and ensure timely transmission to the statistical coordinating center. We will participate and cooperate with other members and institutions in data analysis and writing and communicating the results of these trials.
