It’s not yet September 2015 and everyone is gearing up to September 2016 and the 4th World Parkinson Congress (WPC) in Portland, Oregon. Two fellow “Parkies,” Jon Palfreman and Dave Iverson, are launching a must-see, free, downloadable podcast series: Portland Countdown. Beginning June 2nd, on the first Tuesday of every month they will interview a cross section of individuals about Parkinson’s. The aim of the series is to educate the community about this high-level, non-denominational conference which gathers the scientists, persons with Parkinson’s (PwP), and their families to share the very latest information about Parkinson’s, from day to day management to the very latest research into treatments. I met WPD Executive Director Elizabeth Pollar (“Eli”) at April’s Parkinson’s Unity Walk in Central Park and was so impressed with her “ya’all come” philosophy. With her work on the World Parkinson Congress (WPC), she unites the varied Parkinson disease factions—you go, Eli girl!
I’m excited just thinking about the potential for sharing information and, what Jon called in The New York Times article, “The Bright Side of Parkinson’s.” I hope to see all my old friends in Portland—AND, to make many new ones.
In the interim, I’ve been getting wonderful press coverage, the most recent, an article by Susan Livio in The Star-Ledger.
Both Sides Now 
Dear Dr. Lazzarini,
I am a 50 year old Indian ( Asian ) recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
Both PD03A ( Not PD01A) and PRX002 (insists on idiopathic parkinson’s) trials seem to exclude genetic forms of the disease. Does that mean that the vaccines may not be effective against the genetic forms of Parkinson’s?
Best regards,
Srikanth
I don’t know the specific rationale for the selection criteria of the PRX002 protocol—probably to keep their test group as homogeneous as possible. Since everyone who has PD has been found to have synuclein aggregates (the target of the vaccine), I see no reason to assume that if it’s proven effective, the vaccine might not be effective for carriers of the genetic forms as well.