Professor Roger Barker leads the Barker Group at the John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, a team dedicated to understanding and developing new treatments for Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease.

Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease are both progressive neurological conditions for which there are currently no treatments that slow or halt the underlying degeneration. Parkinson's disease affects around 150,000 people in the UK, causing tremor, stiffness and increasing difficulty with movement, as well as cognitive and other symptoms. Huntington's disease is a hereditary condition that progressively damages the brain, affecting movement, behaviour and cognition, with symptoms typically emerging in mid-life.

The group's research runs across two connected strands. The first focuses on understanding the full range of ways in which these diseases present and progress, using biomarkers and detailed patient studies to identify distinct subtypes. This is essential groundwork for ensuring that new treatments are tested in the right patients at the right stage of disease. The second strand translates this understanding into clinical trials of experimental therapies, including stem cell transplants, gene therapies and repurposed drugs, with the aim of slowing, stopping or repairing the damage these diseases cause.

Supporting this research will bring transformative new treatments for Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease closer to the people who need them.