Tyndall National Institute is a key partner in a new all-island research initiative aimed at improving the quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Parkinson’s disease is the world’s fastest-growing neurological condition, currently affecting approximately 19,200 people across the island of Ireland, with numbers expected to double by 2050. The condition is associated with a wide range of challenges, including difficulties with movement, balance, swallowing, speech, and sleep. Mental health and stigma are also known to significantly affect quality of life.
Despite the scale and complexity of the disease, there is currently no coordinated all-island research hub for Parkinson’s, with research efforts traditionally carried out separately across institutions.
The PD-Life kick-off meeting took place recently and included senior researchers from six partner institutions: University College Cork, Queen’s University Belfast, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick, Ulster University, and Tyndall.
These multidisciplinary teams, including psychologists, engineers, therapists, and clinicians, already conduct Parkinson’s research, but this initiative will enable them to collaborate in a coordinated and integrated way for the first time.
The research programme will focus on improving wellbeing and resilience for people living with Parkinson’s, building on existing expertise and addressing priorities identified by the Parkinson’s community, particularly in healthy living and mental health.
The hub will deliver three interconnected research projects:
- Stigma: Investigating how Parkinson’s-related changes in facial expression and speech influence how people are perceived by others.
- Mental Health: Exploring unmet needs, coping strategies, and the impact of mental health on lifestyle and wellbeing.
- Physical Activity: Supporting individuals with Parkinson’s to initiate and sustain exercise and dance and examining the effects on health and resilience.
The programme will also examine the influence of gender and culture and explore how technology can enhance Parkinson’s care and management.
Tyndall’s Role: Advancing Technology for Parkinson’s Care
Tyndall National Institute is co-leading the Technology Work Package, in partnership with Ulster University.
This work focuses on improving how Parkinson’s symptoms are monitored and managed. Currently, monitoring often depends on patient recall, written diaries, and periodic clinical assessments, which can be limited and inconsistent.
This Work Package will explore how wearable technologies, such as wrist-worn devices and skin-attached sensors, can provide more accurate and continuous monitoring of Parkinson’s symptoms. These systems, when combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI), have the potential to deliver:
- More precise and comprehensive assessment of symptoms
- Personalised treatment approaches
- Targeted therapy recommendations
- Responsive and adaptive exercise support
By integrating digital health technologies into Parkinson’s care, this work aims to support more informed and timely interventions.
Commenting on the announcement, Dr Salvatore Tedesco, Academic Member at Tyndall and Lecturer at UCC, said:
“This collaboration marks an important step towards a more connected and patient-centred approach to Parkinson’s research. At Tyndall, we are focused on applying advanced sensing technologies and artificial intelligence to support more accurate monitoring and more personalised care for people living with the condition.”
