Understanding the signalling mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease is a major area of research for researchers at the MRC PPU. Over recent years several projects have received major funding from Parkinson’s UK, the biggest charity for Parkinson’s in the country. A group of Parkinson’s patients and carers visited the unit last week to explore ways to best share information about the on-going PPU research. This meeting moderated by Hazel Lambert, who contributes to Public Engagement activities at the PPU, essentially asked the Parkinson’s Group how they’d like to hear more about research.

The meeting was attended by two of the PPU’s clinical researchers who are also hospital consultants specialising in movement disorders, Group Leader Dr Miratul Muqit and Consultant neurologist and AHSP Clinical Fellow, Dr. Esther Sammler. Mary Ellmers, Parkinson’s UK’s Service Improvement Advisor for Scotland, and Professor Dario Alessi also attended.

Topics for discussion included the value of laboratory tours and of visiting spaces where research takes place; the opportunity to ask scientists questions and also to learn about wider research areas, not just those related to Parkinson’s. The group were positive about the PPU video on signalling that explains the Unit’s research in a nutshell and remarked that the graphic illustrations made a huge difference in their ability to follow discussions about complex science.

Given the expertise in Parkinson’s related research present in the PPU and more widely in Dundee it was decided to form a new Research Interest Group for Tayside (Tayside-RIG), supported by the Unit. The aim would be for the Tayside-RIG to meet several times a year and invite scientists from MRC PPU and the wider research community to share their science. The PPU very much looks forward to working with Tayside-RIG in the future.