Understanding the genes for Parkinson's disease

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We now know many of the genes which cause and predispose to Parkinson's disease but for many others, we only know their chromosomal position. In this grant we seek to find these genes and work out how the function of all the genes for the disease relate to each other. We already know that many of the genes for the disease are involved in two related processes: autophagy (how the cell removes damages cell components and proteins) and mitophagy (how the cell removes damaged mitochondria). We will assess whether these new genes are in the same pathways or if there are other relevant pathways involved in the disease Finally, we will develop cellular assays for these pathways so that we can work towards developing drugs which correct the defects we have identified.