INDIANAPOLIS — A new cutting-edge research team, led by Indiana University School of Medicine scientists and interdisciplinary experts from multiple universities, will investigate the role of immune cell aging on Parkinson's disease risk and progression. Specifically, the group will study immune-cell exhaustion in idiopathic and familial forms of Parkinson's cases.
Malú Gámez Tansey, PhD, professor of neurology at IU School of Medicine, will serve as lead primary investigator on the project, which is funded by a generous $9 million grant.
Tansey and her team have been selected to join the Collaborative Research Network, an international, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional network working to address high-priority research questions about Parkinson's disease, through a grant awarded by Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP), in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF).
ASAP is expanding the CRN to map the biological blueprint of Parkinson’s disease and build a standardized toolkit of global research resources needed to turn discoveries into treatments. This next phase of the initiative focuses on understanding the heterogeneity of Parkinson’s disease, why it varies across individuals, and advancing discoveries toward more precise diagnostics and future therapies. This effort includes the generation of novel resources for the global research community to work from a common, high-quality baseline, reducing the technical hurdles that stall drug development.
Age is the greatest risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. While immune-cell exhaustion occurs naturally as individuals age, its direct relation to Parkinson’s disease remains underexplored.
The team will also explore whether lifestyle and environmental factors play a role in developing the disease, which affects more than 1.1 million people in the U.S. and cost $82 billion in annual U.S. healthcare, disability, productivity and caregiving burden in 2024 alone.
"The ultimate goal is to leverage knowledge of immune system aging to identify individuals at greater risk for Parkinson’s disease and then target the dysregulated processes in those individuals with treatments designed specifically for them, in ways similar to what the cancer field does today," Tansey said.
Tansey’s leadership team includes several renowned experts on Parkinson’s and aging: Rebecca Wallings, DPhil, assistant professor of neurology at IU School of Medicine; Elizabeth Bradshaw, PhD, Adler Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences and co-director of The Carol and Gene Ludwig Center for Research on Neurodegeneration in the Department of Neurology at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons; Richard Smeyne, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Thomas Jefferson University and director of Jefferson Health’s Comprehensive Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Center; and Catherine Weindel, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine.
"Parkinson's disease is complex enough that no single institution can answer these questions alone. This collaboration between Jefferson, IU, Tulane and Columbia brings together complementary expertise in immunology, neuroscience, biostatistics and clinical care in a way that genuinely accelerates discovery. The Smeyne lab's role in this collaboration reflects our commitment to research that moves from findings in the pre-clinical laboratory to the patient as efficiently as possible," Smeyne said.
"What excites me most about this project is its power of collaboration," Weindel said. "Combining our expertise in neuroscience, neuroimmunology and immunology will give a richer, more complete picture of how immune system aging could contribute to Parkinson's disease. I'm even hopeful that this work might give Parkinson's disease researchers a launch point to direct future immunotherapies."
Wallings' lab will study the "burn out" of immune cells over time as it possibly relates to Parkinson's in hopes of identifying the disease earlier, tracking its progression more accurately and ultimately developing treatments that target harmful immune changes.
"Parkinson's disease is very different from one person to another, and we still do not fully understand why," Wallings said. "By studying immune-cell exhaustion and biological immune aging, we hope to uncover new clues about what drives these differences and identify measurable markers that could help predict disease progression or response to treatment."
Travis S. Johnson, PhD, assistant professor of Biostatistics & Health Data Science at IU School of Medicine, will serve as the project’s data manager and collaborating primary investigator. Andrea R. Merchak, PhD, assistant research professor of neurology, and Nicole R. Fowler, PhD, Klapper Family Scholar in Aging and Family Caregiving Research, will also contribute from IU.
About the Indiana University School of Medicine
The IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability. According to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, the IU School of Medicine ranks No. 13 in 2024 National Institutes of Health funding among all public medical schools in the country.
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About Jefferson
Jefferson is reimagining healthcare and higher education to create unparalleled value throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. More than 65,000 people strong, Jefferson is dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow's professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical and applied research. Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering & Commerce, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students. Jefferson Health, nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit health care systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 33 hospital campuses and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans, through Health Partners Plans, Inc., is a not-for-profit managed health care organization offering a broad range of health coverage options to more than 370,000 members for more than 40 years.