Supporters' day kicks off Parkinson's research conference

Well, it's been an amazing day in York at the Parkinson's UK Research Conference. 

Members and supporters at the conference

More than 100 members and Parkinson's UK supporters joined us to hear 10 fantastic talks from researchers who discussed everything from genetics to the power of dance.

The day kicked off to an inspiring start when Research Support Network member Alan Cameron shared his own personal journey with Parkinson's and his reasons for becoming active and interested in research.

In session 1 our speakers explained the nuts and bolts of the genetics of Parkinson's and how understanding the genes involved is paving the way towards new and more targeted treatments for the condition.

After lunch we moved on to improving care and treatment for people with Parkinson's, including:

• promising results from trials testing the sleep drug Zolpidem in people with Parkinson's
• how research is moving us closer to simple blood tests that can diagnose and monitor Parkinson's
• how we can help people with Parkinson's stay active and avoid falls

The talks concluded with a great interactive presentation from Dr Peter Lovatt (aka Dr Dance) who got the audience grooving as he explained the potential benefits of dance for people with Parkinson's.

Check out the full programme of talks (PDF)

And you can follow the conversation about our day in York on Twitter.

There'll be plenty more from us tomorrow when the scientific conference begins so keep following the conference on Twitter (hashtag #parkinsons2012). And we'll be adding photos from the conference on Flickr.