The Canadian Open Parkinson Network (C-OPN), a project founded by Parkinson Canada and Brain Canada, is designed to foster collaboration between research centres.

This week, the Defeat MSA Alliance announced a new genetic study on MSA, partnered with MSA United International and C-OPN.

In this study, led by Ziv Gan-Or, MD, PhD (McGill University, Montreal), 100-200 DNA samples from Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) patients across Canada will be collected. Dr. Gan-Or and his team are involved in a large variety of related research on glucocerebrosidase (GBA), the most common genetic risk factor of Parkinson’s disease and the second most important cause for dementia among patients with Lewy Body Disease.

The C-OPN study will involve performing whole genome sequencing, which will provide a foundation for future genetic studies. Currently, participants with MSA will be able to enroll in the study through the main centers involved in C-OPN. Later on, the study will be able to recruit from all over Canada. Geneticists in Canada will collaborate with leaders of similar initiatives in the United States, Europe, Asia, and other countries to combine data, thus hoping to identify the genetic factors involved in MSA. This global collaboration is a step toward understanding this devastating disease. This research could help scientists assess risk-factors and possibly develop evidence-based drugs that target MSA patient genes.

Read the full release on defeatmsa.org.