Of the 140 attendees, the majority were patients and families of the Oxford Discovery Cohort. Set up in 2010, this long-term observational study of Parkinson’s and prodromal Parkinson’s is a world-leading Parkinson’s biomarker cohort which has provided an excellent opportunity to understand more about how Parkinson's develops over time, and how Parkinson’s affects different people in different ways.
The day was opened by Professor Michele Hu, welcoming all and giving an update on the latest PD trials, followed by a packed programme of speakers from OPDC, NDCN, OBRC and OUH.
As well as talks, there were opportunities for Q&As with each speaker, plus plenty of refreshment breaks and lunch which gave attendees and clinicians the chance to speak to and learn from each other.
Many of the audience were participants in trials and studies. For them the day offered insights into how research has progressed thanks to their contributions of time, data, skin samples, and in the words of the comedian Tony Hancock - which we enjoyed a clip of thanks to Ludo Van Hillegondsberg - ‘very nearly an armful’ of blood!
This sentiment was reiterated by Dr Kalina Naidoo in the closing slide of her talk as she said ‘Thank you… none of these experiments could be done without the help of patients’.
All talks were recorded and are below to watch again on YouTube.