£5million to help find a cure for Parkinson's

This week a large grant-making trust has donated £5million to fund truly groundbreaking research into Parkinson’s. It's the biggest donation we have ever received.

When the trust initially approached us, it gave us an opportunity to step back and reflect on how far we have progressed in our goal to find a cure for the condition.

It’s true to say that while there have been great leaps forward in our understanding of how Parkinson’s develops, and how we can better treat the symptoms, we still don’t know exactly what causes Parkinson’s in the first place.

The Monument Discovery Award is different because it brings together different strands of leading scientists and clinicians involved in Parkinson’s research, who are passionate about a single goal – to discover what causes Parkinson’s.

By understanding the fundamental reasons why people develop Parkinson’s, we can accelerate our search for a cure and make our aim of ending Parkinson’s a reality.

Dr Kieran Breen is Director of Research and Development at the Parkinson’s Disease Society