## Breadcrumb - [Home](/) - [Resources & Support](/resources-support) - [Parkinson's Today Blog](/resources-support/blog) ## Breadcrumb - [Home](/) - [Resources & Support](/resources-support) - [Parkinson's Today Blog](/resources-support/blog) Advancing Research # How PD Trial Navigator Engages People with Parkinson’s to Accelerate Clinical Trials Mar 17, 2026 ## 🧠 What will you learn in this article? - *PD GENEration: Powered by the Parkinson’s Foundation* is an international research initiative offering [genetic testing and counseling](/understanding-parkinsons/causes/genetics/testing-counseling "Genetic Testing & Counseling") at no cost for people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD). - *[PD Trial Navigator](/about-us/news/pd-trial-navigator-launch "Parkinson’s Foundation Launches New Program to Accelerate Clinical Trials")* is a pilot program connecting PD GENEration participants with clinical trials relevant to them. - It offers personalized education and guidance around clinical trial opportunities, to help participants clarify their health goals and advocate for themselves. - By improving trial matching and recruitment, it helps accelerate clinical trial recruitment, helping speed up the development of new therapies and cures. ![Specialist consulting a patient at the clinic](/sites/default/files/styles/no_sizing/public/images/pd-navigator-hero.jpg?itok=Xne26CoZ) Since its 2019 launch, ***[PD GENEration: Powered by the Parkinson’s Foundation](/advancing-research/our-research/pdgeneration "PD GENEration: Powered by the Parkinson’s Foundation")*** has provided genetic testing and counseling to more than 30,000 people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), empowering them to better understand their genes and family risks. This knowledge also helps advance research. Clinical trials for PD often seek people with specific genetic variants for which a new drug or therapy is designed — an important step toward deepening our understanding of PD. A new Parkinson’s Foundation pilot program, ***[PD Trial Navigator](/about-us/news/pd-trial-navigator-launch "Parkinson’s Foundation Launches New Program to Accelerate Clinical Trials")***, connects PD GENEration participants to clinical trials for which they may qualify. With guidance from trained Trial Navigators, people with PD will be able to learn about current clinical trials relevant to them, to support enrollment. Thus, helping advance research toward new therapies and ultimately a cure. ***PD GENEration* accelerates clinical trial recruitment.** In 2023, the biopharmaceutical company BIAL launched a clinical study for a new PD drug targeting those with a *GBA1*+ genetic variant. [Through the *PD GENEration* community](/blog/advancing-research/pdgeneration-clinial-trial-recruitment "How PD GENEration Accelerates Clinical Trial Recruitment"), BIAL quickly filled the study, enrolling more than 230 participants in less than a year. ### PD Community Feedback is the Compass for *PD Trial Navigator* Prior to creating *PD Trial Navigator,* the Foundation sought to identify what people with PD want from such a program. Evelyn Stevens, Parkinson’s Foundation Senior Director of Research Engagement and Maggie Caulfield, PhD, Director of Research Programs, brought together two focus groups with previous *PD GENEration* participants to discuss their understanding and interest in clinical trials and personalized medicine. Key takeaways from the focus groups included: - Clinical trials seem difficult to join, because of strict eligibility requirements or excessive travel and time needed for participation. - Communications about research opportunities from neurologists or healthcare partners are mixed and inconsistent, leading to apprehension around clinical trials. - The term “personalized medicine” is confusing and needs clarification. > “Disease modifying therapies and personalized medicine are approaches that represent a meaningful shift in Parkinson’s care — moving beyond managing symptoms to slowing or stopping disease progression and tailoring research treatment to a person’s unique biology and genetics. Through PD Trial Navigator, we translated focus group insights to build educational resources that help the PD community navigate these approaches with confidence,” said Evelyn. Dr. Caulfield and Evelyn reviewed the results from the 2024 *PD GENEration* survey and the 2025 Parkinson’s Foundation State of the Community survey for program-guiding insights. A wide majority of respondents (84%) in the 2024 survey expressed interest in being contacted about clinical trials, with 64% also interested in telehealth trial participation. The 2025 survey highlighted that most people with PD (52% of respondents) have likely not participated in a clinical trial or research study before but were interested in research updates and relied on digital platforms as their primary resource for PD information. This valuable input helped the *PD Trial Navigator* team identify three key educational priorities for the program: 1. Provide illustrative overviews on how disease-modifying therapies work and how they relate to precision medicine. 2. Explain the clinical research process, including eligibility criteria and the importance of placebo groups. 3. Emphasize shared decision-making for informed consent, including care teams and loved ones in the process This feedback shaped the *PD Trial Navigator* program, ensuring its design aligns with the needs and priorities of the PD community. ### Accelerating Recruitment = Accelerating Research As *PD Trial Navigator* helps connect more interested and eligible participants to studies, it will help accelerate trials and research. When less time is spent on recruiting, more time and resources can be devoted to analyzing results and improving future treatment designs. The NEULARK trial, a Parkinson’s Foundation [Industry Consortium Member Study](/advancing-research/join-study "Join A Study") sponsored by Neuron23, is one of the first to benefit from this program in action. Their study requires people with PD and a specific *LRRK2* genetic variant or who have overactive *LRRK2* activity and who have not begun dopamine medication. The *PD GENEration* database, together with Neuron23’s secure, confidential data driven tool, identified more than 2,000 potentially eligible participants, allowing the *PD Trial Navigator* team to relay the information to the associated healthcare sites to kickstart screening. For those not located at a *PD GENEration* site, trained Navigators contacted eligible participants directly, offering guidance and answering questions about the process. "I have only gotten through a portion of the list but have already identified a couple of candidates for NEULARK, a study that is quite challenging to fill. This is a great development and a great example of the potential of PD-gene,” said Joseph Quinn, MD, Vice Chair for Research Parkinson's Center Director at Oregon Health and Science University, a Parkinson’s Foundation [Center of Excellence](/living-with-parkinsons/finding-care/global-care-network#Centers "Global Care Network"). By working with *PD GENEration* and *PD Trial Navigator*, Neuron23 can find eligible participants more efficiently, speeding up the research process and getting results to the Parkinson’s community faster. These accelerated timelines could cause an effective treatment to be available years earlier than anticipated, changing the lives of those with PD that could benefit from it. ### Navigating Toward a Cure Where *PD GENEration* is providing awareness and data around PD-related genetic variance, *PD Trial Navigator* is taking the next step to empower clinical trial engagement through personalized education and outreach. This program, designed around PD community needs, will inspire and advance PD research toward novel treatments and cures. *Evelyn Stevens and Maggie Caulfield will present a research poster on PD Trial Navigator at two upcoming conferences: the [International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases and Related Neurological Disorders](https://adpd.kenes.com/) (AD/PD™) in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the [7th World Parkinson Conference](https://wpc2026.org/) in Phoenix, AZ.* ### Learn More The Parkinson’s Foundation works to improve care for people with PD and advance research toward a cure. Learn more with these resources: - Learn about and enroll in [PD GENEration](/advancing-research/our-research/pdgeneration "PD GENEration: Powered by the Parkinson’s Foundation") — an international genetics study that provides genetic testing and counseling at no cost for people with Parkinson’s. - To learn more about *PD Trial Navigator*, email **[PDNavigator@Parkinson.org](mailto:PDNavigator@parkinson.org)**. - Discover how the Parkinson’s Foundation is [Advancing Research](/advancing-research "Advancing Research") - Explore ways to get involved in the Parkinson’s Foundation — from becoming a [research advocate](/advancing-research/advocate-research "Advocate for Research") to [joining a research study](/advancing-research/join-study "Join A Study"). ## Related Materials Videos & Webinars ### [ PD GENEration: Advancing Research, Empowering Lives ](/library/videos/pd-generation-2025) [Watch Now](/library/videos/pd-generation-2025) Podcasts ### [ Episode 174: The Evolution of PD GENEration for Genetic Testing & Counseling ](/library/podcast/174) [Listen Now](/library/podcast/174) Videos & Webinars ### [ Neuro Talk: Top Questions About PD GENEration ](/library/videos/pdgeneration) [Watch Now](/library/videos/pdgeneration) ## Related Blog Posts ![An older man smiles while talking with a doctor during a medical consultation.](/sites/default/files/styles/500x360/public/images/Blog%20Hero%20%28WYSIWYG-full%29_4.png?h=ed9ce7df&itok=HDKfp_U6) Advancing Research ### [ How PD GENEration Accelerates Clinical Trial Recruitment ](/blog/advancing-research/pdgeneration-clinial-trial-recruitment) READ NOW ![navigating genetic testing blog](/sites/default/files/styles/500x360/public/images/navigatinggenetictesting-blog-1.png?h=45815c72&itok=d-TEaN0-) Science News ### [ Navigating the World of Genetic Testing ](/blog/science-news/genetic-testing) READ NOW ![Older man playing with his granddaughter](/sites/default/files/styles/500x360/public/images/pdgeneration-blog_0.jpg?h=e285aa82&itok=oN9B94P2) Advancing Research ### [ How exactly does PD GENEration work? ](/blog/research/how-pdgeneration-works) READ NOW ### Join the PD GENEration Today PD GENEration is an initiative that offers genetic testing and genetic counseling at no cost for people with Parkinson’s disease. 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