MJFF has launched Fox Trial Finder – an online clinical trial matching tool designed to speed research by making faster connections between volunteers and recruiting PD clinical trials. www.foxtrialfinder.org

As you likely know, clinical trials and studies play a critical role in the work to discover new Parkinson’s research, and yet persistent challenges in identifying participants for these trials and studies represent one of the most significant problems facing Parkinson’s drug development today. Up to 80% of trials fail to recruit enough volunteers within planned timelines.

With Fox Trial Finder, volunteers looking to participate in studies can use the web to find trials relevant to them and their personal experience with Parkinson’s, and, reciprocally, clinical trial teams have a way to connect faster and more efficiently with motivated volunteers. As the Fox Trial Finder volunteer community grows, we believe it will become an increasingly important asset to the PD research community, assuring clinical trial coordinators and funders of PD research that when they initiate a trial they will have a ready first stop for recruiting participants.

Fox Trial Finder is part of a broader MJFF effort to raise awareness about the importance of clinical research and to share this opportunity to participate in work for a cure in a very personal manner with communities across the country.

As you consider participation in clinical trials, please know that Fox Trial Finder is a tool to help PWPs and their friends and family get involved in research and for speeding progress to a cure.

Best, Debi

Debi

I wonder if you would be open to an honest assessment of the technical capabilities of FTF, compared with existing search capability and compared to a patient activists' perspective on the reasons for slow enrollments in clinical trials. As you know I have been working for 10 years on the issues of ways to speed up the pipeline for PD, which includes the recruitment of PWP to studies and retaining their participation throughout studies now lasting as long as 18 months to wash out strong placebo responses to surgically delivered new treatments. Along with other leaders of the Pipeline Project, I have been preparing such an assessment for pdtrials.org, the community wide effort to do many of the same things as FTF and would like to share it with you as well as the Neurotalk community.

Perry Cohen
Director, Parkinson Pipeline Project