Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (tool)

RRID:SCR_006431

An observational longitudinal clinical study partnership to identify and validate biomarkers of Parkinson disease (PD) progression and provide easy and open web-based access to the comprehensive set of correlated clinical data and biospecimens, information, and biosamples acquired from PD and age and gender matched healthy control subjects to the research community. The data and specimens have been collected in a standardized manner under strict protocols and includes clinical (demographic, motor and non-motor, cognitive and neurobehavioral), imaging (raw and processed MRI, SPECT and DAT), and blood chemistry and hematology subject assessments and biospecimen inventories (serum, plasma, whole blood, CSF, DNA, RNA and urine). All data are de-identified to protect patient privacy. PPMI will be carried out over five years at 21 clinical sites in the United States and Europe and requires the participation of 400 Parkinson's patients and 200 control participants. The PPMI database provides researchers with access to correlated clinical and imaging data, along with annotated biospecimens, all available within an open access system that encourages data sharing (http://www.ppmi-info.org/access-data-specimens/). The website hosts an Ongoing Analysis section to keep the scientific community apprised of analyses being completed, in hopes of stimulating collaborations between researchers who are using PPMI data and specimens.