Dr Roberto Cilia spoke to us on the topic of "Mucuna Pruriens and the future of Parkinson's care in low income countries"

There is much discussion by PwP as to the benefits of using this "natural " form of Levadopa as an alternative or in addition to prescribed Levadopa so it is very interesting to hear this presentation and the answers to the very high number of questions in the Q&A that follows it.

Roberto's main focus is on using mucuna to treat Parkinson's patients in countries where levodopa is either not available or not affordable. This is a great opportunity to learn about this important legume!

Dr. Roberto Cilia is a renowned movement disorder specialist based in Milan, Italy. With extensive experience in neurology, he has dedicated his career to improving the lives of patients suffering from Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders.

We are delighted to be able to share with you our latest interview with
Dr Filip Scheperjans who shared with us his fantastic work on "The importance of the gut-brain axis in Parkinson's" which was followed by an excellent Q & A session.

More about our expert:-

Dr. Filip Scheperjans is a leading expert in neurology, specialising in treating Parkinson’s disease and focusing on advanced methods and gastrointestinal symptoms.

He earned his Licentiate of Medicine from the University of Düsseldorf in 2006 and completed his Neurology specialisation at the University of Helsinki in 2013. In 2008, he received his Doctor of Medical Science, focusing on neuroanatomy, and became Associate Professor in 2020 at the University of Helsinki.

Dr. Scheperjans investigates the relationship between gastrointestinal symptoms and the microbiome in Parkinson’s disease, exploring novel treatment strategies. His work includes advanced therapies like drug infusions and deep-brain stimulation, supported by major organisations such as the Academy of Finland and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Prof Sonia Gandhi joined us to share her expertise on how Mitochondria affects PD with an excellent presentation followed by a very probing Q&A by our well informed audience.

Prof Gandhi is a leading expert in the process of protein misfolding, in which smaller proteins, monomers, join together to form larger proteins, oligomers, and how this process may drive organellar dysfunction and cell toxicity in neurodegeneration.

Sonia obtained a BA in Neuroscience at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, in 1996, and completed her degree in Medicine at New College, University of Oxford, in 1999. She trained in postgraduate medicine at the Hammersmith Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Whittington Hospital.
Sonia was awarded a Wellcome Clinical Research Training Fellowship to complete a PhD in Neuroscience at UCL Institute of Neurology in 2004. In 2007, she trained as a Specialist registrar in Neurology, and took up an NIHR Lectureship in Neurology at Imperial College in 2009. In 2012 she was awarded a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellowship, and established her laboratory at the UCL Institute of Neurology in October 2013. She was awarded a laboratory secondment to the Francis Crick Institute in 2016