In the April Public Forum, attendees were welcomed by Professor Simon Lewis, a world-renowned neurologist and clinical researcher based at Macquarie University. Professor Lewis began the session by providing an engaging and informative overview of the cutting-edge clinical trials and research currently underway at his centre. His work focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. He highlighted recent developments in patient-centered trial design, advances in biomarker identification, and the growing role of precision medicine in tailoring treatments to individual needs. Professor Lewis also shared promising early results from several ongoing studies, including work on predicting disease, projecting disease trajectories, sleep-wake disturbances, hallucinations and freezing of gait

Following this insightful introduction, Professor Lewis welcomed Professor Roger Barker, a distinguished clinician-scientist from the University of Cambridge and a leading authority on Parkinson’s disease. Professor Barker brought a wealth of experience to the discussion, with a particular focus on the development of cell-based therapies and his work with the TRANSEURO and G-Force PD consortia. The conversation between the two professors was both accessible and enlightening, offering the audience a rare opportunity to hear directly from two of the field’s foremost experts.