The objective of this project is to perform pilot studies to identify putative neuroprotective agents for Parkinson's disease and to demonstrate convincingly in a randomized, double-blind clinical trial the efficacy of one or more pharmacological agents for slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease and to determine the toxicity and tolerability of these agents.Our Clinical Research Center will be a consortium of three local sites, each with a history and interest in conducting Parkinson's disease clinical trials. The lead site will be Thomas Jefferson University (Parkinson's Disease Research Unit), with satellite sites at Main Line Health Hospitals in Bryn Mawr, PA and Neurology Associates, P.A. in Wilmington, DE. This consortium, spanning the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the heavily populated northwestern suburbs of Philadelphia, Southeast Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and the entire state of Delaware will greatly enhance our ability to enroll patients in any research project in which we participate. The strength of this consortium is the collective research expertise of the participants and the resultant enhanced availability of early Parkinson's disease patients. As a result of this consortium, we are confident that we will be able to exceed the minimum number of patients to be recruited into study by approximately 50%. Each component of this Clinical Center is staffed by clinical personnel experienced in the clinical and research assessment of Parkinson's disease patients and by accomplished nurses and clinical coordinators with experience in the recruitment and retention of Parkinson's disease patients and the administration of clinical protocols.
