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Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center Biorepository

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Mission

The Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center Biorepository is a data and biospecimen repository that stores demographic and clinical information and biological samples from patients and healthy controls evaluated at the Regenstein Center for Neurological Care at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Eligible participants include patients with movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, multiple systems atrophy, Huntington’s disease, dystonia, dementia with Lewy bodies, and spinocerebellar ataxias.  Unaffected family controls and unrelated controls are also eligible. The Biorepository is approved by the NU IRB.  All participants provide DNA samples and clinical information, and optionally may also provide blood, cerebral spinal fluid, and skin biopsies.

Services Offered

The following de-identified biospecimens linked to detailed clinical information are available for research.  Please contact the study Principal Investigator for details on sample availability.

  • DNA samples
  • Whole blood, plasma, and serum
  • Cerebrospinal fluid
  • Skin biopsy tissue
  • Fibroblasts and peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Data sharing

The Biorepository data and samples are available to all Northwestern University and external investigators who submit an application.  Applications are reviewed for scientific validity, feasibility, and data / sample availability prior to approval.  Please email the study Project Manager for an application form.

Contact

General Contact
312-503-0755

Rizwan Akhtar
Principal Investigator

Monika Szela
Project Manager

Location

710 N Lake Shore Drive
11th Floor
Chicago, IL 60611

Acknowledgement

The Biorepository must be acknowledged in all publications involving data provided by the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center Biorepository.  Specific instructions will be provided upon approval of requests.