Researchers Uncover Missing Parkinson’s Link

UBC genetics researchers working with an international team made a major breakthrough in Parkinson’s Disease research, identifying the gene responsible for late-onset Parkinson’s, the second most common chronic neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s. The gene was discovered using massively parallel DNA sequencing from thousands of samples, but one family—a Mennonite clan from Saskatchewan—is mainly to thank. Twelve of the family’s 57 members suffer from Parkinson’s and contributed considerable time, clinical information, blood samples, and even brain samples without which the discovery might not have been possible.