Center for the Study of Parkinson's Disease
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Institute or Center:	Center for the Study of Parkinson's Disease
Information:	The Center for the Study of Parkinson’s Disease (CSPD) is a highly collaborative and integrated research effort among clinicians and scientists at UCLA, with the ultimate goal of finding new treatments to stop or reverse the course of PD. Using animal and cellular models, and comprehensive studies in human subjects, scientists at the CSPD have identified a number of crucial pathways and molecules involved in degeneration and neuroprotection, and have gained novel insights into genetic and environmental risk factors and their interactions in disease and health. Currently, the CSPD is supported by two major Center grants from the National Institutes of Health, a Morris K. Udall Parkinson disease Center of Excellence, and the Center for Gene Environment in Parkinson’s disease, and has been designated a Center for Advanced Research from the American Parkinson Disease Association for over a decade. In addition, investigators in the Center are supported by multiple awards from the National Institutes of Health, the Veterans Administration, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and several biotechnology companies. The CSPD continues to stimulate interest in PD research by providing a number of pilot grant opportunities designed to attract seasoned investigators from other fields who can contribute their expertise. The training and education of the next generation of scientists and clinicians is an integral part of the CSPD mission. In addition to the training they receive in the laboratory, undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral scholars participate in a number of seminars and discussion groups with other colleagues, ensuring each receives an in-depth and well rounded education in Parkinson’s research.
Web Resource:	http://www.cspd.ucla.edu
Centers:	Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Studies