In this interview, Professor Simon Lewis speaks with Dr Kelly Bertram, Director of the Parkinson and Movement Disorder Program at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne. She qualified from the University of Melbourne and undertook part of her training at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago. Dr Bertram is a Site Investigator for the Australian Parkinson’s Mission (APM), a national initiative designed to accelerate the development of disease-modifying therapies for Parkinson’s disease. The discussion explores why, despite decades of research, it has been so difficult to find treatments that slow or stop disease progression rather than simply manage symptoms. The interview highlights how modern clinical trials differ from those conducted a decade ago, which largely focused on symptomatic relief. Contemporary “smart trials”, like those run by the APM, incorporate genetic profiling, blood-based biomarkers and precision medicine within a platform trial design. Dr Bertram also discusses the operational challenges of Parkinson’s research, particularly participant recruitment and retention.
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