Professor Oliver Bandmann – the Professor of Movement Disorders Neurology and Co-Director of the Cross-Faculty Neuroscience Research Institute at University of Sheffield, UK – is the winner of this year’s Tom Isaacs Award.
He received the award in recognition of his vital research focused on discovering new treatments with the potential to slow, stop or reverse Parkinson’s.
The award was presented virtually to Professor Bandmann on behalf of Cure Parkinson’s and Van Andel Institute (VAI) as part of the annual Grand Challenges in Parkinson’s Disease symposium, held in Michigan, in September.
Professor Bandmann’s ground-breaking research group screened a library of 2,000 compounds in patient tissue to identify promising compounds, including ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a drug already in use to treat liver disease. Work by Professor Bandmann suggests UDCA may also address mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson’s models. As a result, the team were able to take UDCA to clinical trial at phase 2, with positive results, and UDCA is now moving forward to the next stage of clinical testing.
Alongside this research, Professor Bandmann investigates non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s, in particular the common symptom of pain. He also runs two movement disorders clinics every week and is the Movement Disorders Service Lead at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 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.
The Tom Isaacs award was set up in memory of Cure Parkinson’s late co-founder and President, to recognise a researcher who has significantly impacted the lives of people living with Parkinson’s and has involved people with Parkinson’s in their work.
“I was absolutely delighted to receive the Tom Isaacs Award. I remember Tom well – he was incredibly inspirational,” said Professor Bandmann. “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 Bandmann is a clear example of the very essence of the Tom Isaacs award. He is passionate about working 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.
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 has 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.”
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