Cure Parkinson’s and Van Andel Institute (VAI) have announced Professor Oliver Bandmann, Co-Director of the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Sheffield, as the winner of the 2024 Tom Isaacs Award, which honours researchers who closely collaborate with the Parkinson’s community.
The award was virtually presented to Professor Bandmann as part of the annual Grand Challenges in Parkinson’s Disease symposium and parallel Rallying to the Challenge meeting for people living with Parkinson’s held in Grand Rapids, Michigan in September.
The Tom Isaacs Award was created in memory of The Cure Parkinson's Trust's (CPT) late co-founder and President Tom Isaacs. The award recognises researchers who have significantly impacted the lives of people living with Parkinson’s and has involved people with Parkinson’s in a participatory way in their work.
Professor Bandmann runs two movement disorders clinics every week and is the Movement Disorders Service Lead at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, a role through which he has worked to improve the service for patients and training for Parkinson’s nurses. Under his leadership, a regional shared care protocol for Parkinson’s drugs was developed and implemented across South Yorkshire which has dramatically simplified and standardised the availability of primary care drugs for Parkinson’s.
I was absolutely delighted to receive the Tom Isaacs Award. I remember Tom well - he was incredibly inspirational. However, I would like to acknowledge that this award really reflects the excellence of Parkinson's research across the Sheffield Neuroscience community. I'm also very lucky to work together with such wonderful clinical colleagues in our Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Movement Disorders Service.
Professor Oliver Bandmann
Professor of Movement Disorders Neurology and Co-Director of the Neuroscience Research Institute at the University of Sheffield
Professor Oliver Bandmann’s research is focused on discovering new treatments with the potential to slow, stop or reverse Parkinson’s. A drug screen of 2,000 compounds undertaken by a research group which he led at the University of Sheffield identified ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a drug already in use to treat liver disease, as the most promising drug to boost the performance of mitochondria, or the cells batteries.
The team were able to take UDCA to a phase 2 clinical trial, and results were positive, with participants on the drug showing consistent improvement of gait. The drug was also shown to be safe and well tolerated. UDCA is now moving forward to the next stage of clinical testing.
As the Movement Disorders Service Lead at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Professor Bandmann has worked to improve the service for patients and training for Parkinson’s nurses. Under his leadership, a regional shared care protocol for Parkinson’s drugs was developed and implemented across South Yorkshire. This has dramatically simplified and standardised the availability of primary care drugs for Parkinson’s.
Professor Bandmann also investigates non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s, particularly the common symptom of pain. He is widely published, with eight articles in the prestigious journal Brain alone.
As a National Neurosciences Advisory Group (NNAG) Lead for two years, Professor Bandmann took on feedback from public and patient consultations. He worked to develop a new pathway which emphasised the importance of a timely and well managed diagnosis for people with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders, and subsequent regular access to healthcare professionals. He also worked to improve accessibility for people with Parkinson’s, encouraging healthcare providers to embrace novel ways of working such as digital monitoring and remote appointments where appropriate.
Professor Bandmann also served as the President of the Doncaster branch of Parkinson’s UK, and has been involved in several awareness raising and community outreach campaigns.
Helen Matthews, CEO of Cure Parkinson’s said: “We are thrilled to present the Tom Isaacs award for 2024 to Oliver. He and his team are breaking new ground in the search for disease-modifying treatments for Parkinson’s, and he has consistently worked to improve the care received by those diagnosed with the condition. We are delighted to celebrate Oliver’s passion and commitment to the Parkinson’s community with this thoroughly deserved award.”
