Dundee researchers bring precision medicine Parkinson’s trial to local patients

The NEULARK trial is evaluating this precision medicine approach in people with LRRK2-driven Parkinson’s disease. Mutations in the LRRK2 protein kinase are the most frequent cause of inherited Parkinson's disease, triggering cellular dysfunction that leads to the disease.

Researchers at the Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC-PPU) at the University are among a select group of international sites participating in the study. Understanding of the LRRK2 kinase was painstakingly researched and developed by the world-leading Dundee team of Parkinson’s researchers.

“Parkinson's is not the same disease in everyone,” said Dr Esther Sammler, who is leading the Dundee trial.

“People have different symptoms, the rate of progression changes and I think what we are now understanding increasingly is that there's a vast difference in the underlying disease biology for people. That really matters because if you have a particular treatment that targets one disease mechanism then this may be relevant for some, but not for all people with Parkinson's disease. 

“That is what personalised medicine is. We want to find the right treatment for the right person.”

More than 150,000 people in the UK are living with Parkinson’s disease, yet there are currently no approved therapies that slow disease progression. Increasingly, researchers believe Parkinson's disease is made up of multiple biological subtypes, making precision medicine approaches a promising area of investigation.

The NEULARK Phase 2 clinical trial is evaluating an investigational therapy designed to target overactive LRRK2, a biological pathway believed to play an important role in Parkinson's disease in a subset of patients. Unlike traditional "one-size-fits-all" approaches, the trial is enrolling participants whose genetics suggest they may be more likely to benefit from treatment.

The trial, sponsored by Neuron23, is evaluating whether targeting the LRRK2 pathway in patients with evidence of LRRK2 overactivity may offer a more personalised approach than has historically been possible.

Professor Dario Alessi, director of the MRC-PPU, said, “LRRK2 is what we call a master enzyme that splits on an important pathway that's critical in driving the biology of Parkinson's disease.

“In patients who have identified LRRK2 genetic-driven Parkinson's disease, we know that the condition is caused by this pathway being too activated and therefore companies have developed new potential therapies that will target very selectively the LRRK2 pathway. 

“The hope is that we can slow the progression of the disease down or even maybe halt the progression of the disease by giving these patients the opportunity to participate in such trials.”

Tony Hindhaugh lives in Ullapool in the Scottish Highlands. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2025 having become aware of a twitch in his shoulder after waking one morning. Following an extensive career in the food, wine and food media industries, he says that he is now focused on assisting Dundee academics as part of the NEULARK trial.

“The reason I wanted to get involved with this trial is that it is specific, very direct and very targeted,” he said. “I understand everything about it with regards to how the targeted medication could be a lot better to my specific problem.

“My Parkinson’s symptoms are very mild. At present, the tremor is the only thing that gives it away. But while it hasn't interrupted anything in my life at the minute, it has made me think and slow down a bit.

“Overall, this trial gives me hope. I’m not unrealistic – I know my Parkinson’s is not going to be cured – but I fully understand that a targeted medication could be a lot better to a specific problem. Anything that could try and control something which is a clear, known and defined deficiency has merit, and that is why I am fully committed to this process.”