Team Science Approaches to Unravel Monogenic Parkinson's Disease on a Global Scale

Background

Until recently, about three-quarters of all monogenic Parkinson's disease (PD) studies were performed in European/White ancestry, thereby severely limiting our insights into genotype–phenotype relationships at a global scale.

Objective

To identify the multi-ancestry spectrum of monogenic PD.

Methods

The first systematic approach to embrace monogenic PD worldwide, The Michael J. Fox Foundation Global Monogenic PD Project, contacted authors of publications reporting individuals carrying pathogenic variants in known PD-causing genes. In contrast, the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program's Monogenic Network took a different approach by targeting PD centers underrepresented or not yet represented in the medical literature.

Results

In this article, we describe combining both efforts in a merger project resulting in a global monogenic PD cohort with the buildup of a sustainable infrastructure to identify the multi-ancestry spectrum of monogenic PD and enable studies of factors modifying penetrance and expressivity of monogenic PD.

Conclusions

This effort demonstrates the value of future research based on team science approaches to generate comprehensive and globally relevant results. © 2024 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.