Research Changes Futures.
For people living with Parkinson's disease or dementia with Lewy bodies, every year of preserved movement, cognition, and independence matters. Yet current treatments still cannot reliably slow or stop either disease.
Our research focuses on the earliest stages—bringing laboratory discoveries and clinical research together to understand disease sooner, detect it earlier, and create treatments that protect what matters most.
"Research has brought us to a point where real disease-modifying therapies are within reach. Our task now is to help make them a reality."
Richard Schirtzer
Founder and Director
OUR RESEARCH STRATEGY
Focused Questions. Defined Projects. One Goal: Changing the Course of Disease.
Our research projects focus on highly relevant unanswered questions in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies - questions that matter directly to patients and families, yet remain insufficiently studied.
We deliberately prioritize areas where deeper understanding could open new opportunities for earlier diagnosis, better treatment, and ultimately disease modification, with a particular focus on the earliest stages of disease when intervention may have the greatest potential to preserve brain function and independence.
Understand Disease
Reveal the mechanisms that initiate neurodegeneration, drive disease progression, and make vulnerable nerve cells susceptible to damage.
Detect Earlier
Develop biomarkers and diagnostic approaches that can identify Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies during their earliest, prodromal stages.
Develop Therapies
Translate biological discoveries into targeted strategies designed to slow or stop disease progression - not simply manage symptoms.
Each project begins with a defined scientific question and is built around the expertise, technologies, and collaborations needed to answer it.
Which Research Project Would You Like to Support?
Current Research Projects
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT
PUPIL-RBD
Establishing Pupillometry as a New Biomarker in REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
PUPIL-RBD aims to validate pupillometry as a non-invasive, quantitative biomarker for early synucleinopathy in patients with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). By measuring subtle changes in the pupillary light response, this project seeks to enable earlier detection, closer monitoring, and future therapeutic trials before motor symptoms emerge.
Duration
3 Years
Focus Area
- Pupillometry
- Early Diagnosis
- Synucleinopathy
Project Cost
$400,000
Digital Biomarker
Prodromal Disease
Remote Monitoring
The Need
REM sleep behavior disorder is one of the strongest early warning signs of Parkinson's disease and related Lewy body disorders. We still lack simple, scalable tools that can detect and track subtle nervous system changes early enough to guide prevention-focused intervention.
What We Are Doing
PUPIL-RBD validates pupillometry as a non-invasive biomarker by measuring pupillary responses in RBD patients. Our goal is to establish a reproducible, therapy-responsive tool for early detection and monitoring of synucleinopathy.
The Benefit
A simple pupillary biomarker could identify people at risk earlier, track disease activity, and support future trials of disease-modifying therapies. This approach could help bring earlier diagnosis and intervention closer to patients and families.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT
LUNG-PD
Decoding the Lung-Brain Axis in Parkinson's Disease
LUNG-PD investigates how severe respiratory infections can accelerate Parkinson's disease progression. Using a double-hit model of alpha-synuclein pathology and lung inflammation, we aim to identify the molecular mediators and cellular pathways that link the lung and brain—opening the door to targeted strategies that could prevent infection-triggered worsening and improve outcomes for patients.
Duration
3 Years
Focus Area
- Neuroinflammation
- Lung-Brain Axis
- Alpha-Synuclein Biology
Project Cost
$395,000
Neuroinflammation
Lung-Brain Axis
Alpha-Synuclein Biology
Disease Progression
The Need
Respiratory infections are associated with sudden worsening in Parkinson's disease, often leading to hospitalization and incomplete recovery. We still lack effective strategies to prevent infection-triggered progression and the underlying mechanisms that connect the lung and brain.
What We Are Doing
LUNG-PD uses a double-hit model to identify molecular mediators and cellular pathways linking lung inflammation and brain degeneration. Our goal is to uncover intervention targets that could prevent or mitigate infection-driven worsening of Parkinson's disease.
The Benefit
Understanding and blocking lung-to-brain signals could prevent acute infection-triggered declines; reduce hospitalization and long-term disability; and improve quality of life. This knowledge may enable new therapies that protect the brain before irreversible damage occurs.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT
CoPATH-DLB
Understanding How Mixed Proteinopathies Drive Dementia With Lewy Bodies
CoPATH-DLB is the first project to test whether an approved Alzheimer’s disease antibody can slow the progression of dementia with Lewy bodies, a devastating disorder with no approved disease-modifying treatments. By targeting amyloid pathology in DLB, we aim to open the door to biology-based therapies for patients and families who need them most.
Duration
3 Years
Focus Area
- Amyloid Pathology
- Disease Modification
- Dementia with Lewy Bodies
Project Cost
$ 445,000
Amyloid Pathology
Disease Modification
Clinical Translation
The Need
Dementia with Lewy bodies is one of the most challenging and least understood neurodegenerative diseases. Many patients show not only alpha-synuclein pathology, but also additional amyloid changes that may worsen disease progression. Yet we still do not know whether targeting this mixed pathology could open a new therapeutic path for DLB.
What We Are Doing
CoPath-DLB uses a rigorous preclinical model to examine whether an approved Alzheimer’s antibody therapy can modify disease progression in DLB with mixed protein pathology. We will assess how amyloid-targeting influences pathology, neurodegeneration, and key disease-related readouts – providing a strong foundation for future translational development.
The Benefit
This project will deliver critical proof-of-concept evidence for a biology-based treatment strategy in DLB. By clarifying whether targeting amyloid can influence disease-driving mechanisms, it may open the door to more precise therapeutic approaches and future clinical translation for patients and families affected by this devastating disease.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECT
CLEM-PD
Revealing the Ultrastructure of Alpha-Synuclein Pathology
CLEM-PD uses a powerful correlative light and electron microscopy approach to study alpha-synuclein aggregate pathology inside nerve cells at ultra-high resolution. By revealing which cell structures are damaged, how aggregates spread from one cell to another, and whether key differences exist between Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, this project aims to identify the mechanisms that should be targeted by future therapies.
Duration
3 Years
Focus Area
- Electron Microscopy
- Alpha-Synuclein Biology
- Disease Mechanisms
Project Cost
$415,000
Electron Microscopy
Alpha-Synuclein
Cellular Damage
Disease Spread
The Need
To develop disease-modifying therapies, we must understand exactly how alpha-synuclein pathology injures neurons. We still lack a detailed view of which organelles and cellular structures are most affected and how pathology propagates through the nervous system.
What We Are Doing
CLEM-PD combines fluorescence labeling with electron microscopy to visualize alpha- synuclein aggregates inside cells at nanometer resolution. We will map their ultrastructural effects, identify vulnerable organelles, and compare pathology in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.
The Benefit
This project could reveal the most important cellular targets of Lewy pathology and uncover differences between PD and DLB. In the long term, these insights may guide more precise therapies that block spread, protect vulnerable neurons, and slow disease progression.