MUSC announces its selection as study site for the Black and African American Connections to Parkinson’s Disease study

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Dec. 05, 2023) – The Office of the Vice President for Research announced today that the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has been selected by the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2) as one of four new medical research study sites for the Black and African American Connections to Parkinson’s Disease (BLAAC PD) study. GP2 is a resource of the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s initiative and implemented by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

BLAAC PD, a pioneering initiative of GP2, aims to enhance our understanding of the genetic basis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) among underrepresented populations. This groundbreaking study involves genotyping over 150,000 individuals worldwide. Notably, BLAAC PD has recently contributed to findings of a novel GBA1 variant in individuals with PD and African ancestry. This discovery emphasizes the prevalence of the variant throughout African populations.

Vanessa Hinson, M.D., Ph.D., MUSC’s lead researcher on the study, highlighted the importance of the BLAAC PD research study in advancing our understanding of PD. “Genetic discovery and validation research not only expand what we know about PD, but they are the path to improving outcomes for people with the disease.”

As a BLAAC PD site, MUSC will receive funding to support study visit costs, supplies, community engagement strategy support, staffing support and participant incentives. Additionally, as a part of GP2, MUSC now joins the largest PD genetics consortium in the world.

BLAAC PD enrolls people who:

Are age 18 or older
Are Black or African American
Have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s OR
Do not have PD and do not have a parent, sibling or child with PD

According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, there are approximately 36,265 people living with PD across North and South Carolina and 1 million are affected in the United States alone. Parkinson’s-related expenses in the Carolinas total $1.81 billion.

“MUSC is excited to join the network of BLAAC PD sites to expand understanding of PD within the Black and African American community,” said Lori L. McMahon, Ph.D., vice president for Research at MUSC. “This collaborative research contributes to a more holistic, global understanding of PD, which is absolutely essential to discoveries that change lives.”

MUSC was one of four new sites included in this expansion. Other sites include UTHealth in Houston, Washington University in St. Louis, and UH Hospitals / Case Western in Cleveland. This expansion will broaden the geographic diversity of BLAAC PD locations across the United States, increasing representation of the diverse U.S. Black and African American community in its study population and building a base for greater discovery and application of findings across ancestries.

In addition to leading Parkinson’s disease research, MUSC offers clinical care to individuals and their families. As the first Parkinson's Foundation Center of Excellence in South Carolina, MUSC Health offers the only comprehensive movement disorders program in the state, providing a greater number of treatment options to improve the lives of patients living with neurodegenerative diseases.

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About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $300 million in research funds in fiscal year 2023, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 16 hospitals (includes owned or governing interest), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2023, for the ninth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $5.9 billion. The nearly 26,000 MUSC family members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.