Parkinson’s disease decoded: Workshop explores genetic, environmental, and clinical perspectives 

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On May 8-10, The MDS-European Section (MDS-ES) had another Focused Workshop, titled "Parkinson's Disease Decoded: Genes, Environment, and the Epidemiological Challenge," in Lübeck, Germany.  

The Workshop was led by Prof. Christine Klein and organized by the MDS-ES in collaboration with the University of Lübeck and the European Academy of Neurology.  

The aim of the workshop was to bring together leading researchers and clinicians to discuss the multifaceted aspects of Parkinson's disease from genetic, environmental, and clinical perspectives.  

Day 1 emphasized epidemiology and genetic determinants, covering disease incidence patterns and genetic mechanisms. It started with an amazing lecture by Cambridge Professor of Epidemiology, Prof. Yoav Ben-Shlomo, weighting-in on the idea of a “Parkinson’s epidemic,” followed by Dr. Margherita Fabbri discussing the pitfalls of clinical trials in Parkinson’s disease. In the afternoon, the course continued with Prof. Enza Maria Valenete discussing genetic Parkinson’s disease, followed by Profs. Joanne Trinh and Rosanna Asselta discussing LRRK2 and GBA, respectively. The afternoon ended with a joined session with the EAN, with Prof. Irena Rektorova discussing neuroimaging and neurogenetics and Prof. Elena Moro lecturing on the neurogenetics in neuromodulation. The day ended with a welcome reception and networking event at the Lubeck Institute of Neurogenetics.  

Day 2 addressed genome-environment complexity. It started with the topic genome-wide complexity in Parkinson’s disease and continued with Prof. Klein on “Innovative Strategies to Tackle Parkinson's Disease Genetics,” followed by Prof. Huw Morris on “PD-GWAS and Genome-Wide Determinants of Phenotypic Traits,” and finally Prof. Lasse Pihlstrom addressing “Epigenetic Modifiers.” This session was followed by a session focused on α-synuclein-mediated pathways, which examined the neuropathology central to Parkinson’s disease, with lectures from Prof. Tommaso Schirinzi on mitochondrial damage, Prof. Mina Ryten on transcriptomic signatures, and finally, Prof. Friederike Zunke on dysfunction of clearance systems. The morning ended with a plenary lecture by Prof. Gunter Höglinger on the biological definition of neuronal and glial synucleinopathies. 

The lunch break of day two was devoted to the poster and oral presentations by the attendees, and the workshop returned in the afternoon to focus on Environmental factors and lifestyle. Firstly, Prof. Alastair Noyce discussed pesticides and air pollution in Parkinson’s disease risk, followed by Prof. Alexis Elbaz addressing modifiable environmental factors exploring lifestyle interventions and finally, Prof. Emma L. Schymanski discussed the relevance of exposome and metabolome to identify novel gene-environment interactions. 

This very packed second day still had time for Prof. Sonia Gandhi to discuss the relation between PD and diabetes, and Prof. Tiago Outeiro to discuss the relation between cancer and PD. The day ended with a lecture from Prof. Bas Bloem on PD and exercise. 

Day 3 shifted focus to emerging research areas, including the gut-brain axis, microbiota influences on neurodegeneration, and immunological mechanisms. The first session was devoted to the gut-brain axis, with the first presentation on the topic being brilliantly led by Prof. Per Borghammer. This was followed by Prof. Sandra Morais Cardoso addressing dysbiome triggers of neurodegeneration in mice and finally, “Microbiota-Based Interventions to Treat Parkinson's Disease,” led by Prof. Filip Scheperjans. 

The workshop paused for a second poster session, and the morning continued with a session devoted to the impact of inflammation and immunity on PD, with lectures from Profs. Michael T. Heneka, Vania Broccoli, and Per Svenningsson.  

The final plenary lecture was on artificial intelligence-based stratification of Parkinson's disease trajectories, presented by Prof. Holger Fröhlich. 

This was a brilliant three-day event, which brought together clinical and basic researchers, and where attendees and faculty had the opportunity to engage in important and complex discussion, exploring the complex and multilayered pathology of Parkinson’s disease.