BusinessWire India 

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], November 13: A study conducted by the Parkinson's Research Alliance of India (PRAI) on the genetic basis of early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD) in Indian patients has received international recognition as it won the "Best Poster" award at the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2) Annual Conference held in Seoul, South Korea, in October 2026. The Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2), an initiative under Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP), brings together researchers worldwide to advance the understanding of Parkinson's disease genetics with a focus on populations historically underrepresented in research, and support globally relevant discoveries that can inform future therapeutic strategies.

The study, titled "From Genes to Pathways: Genetic Convergence in Early-Onset Parkinson's Disease in India," builds on PRAI's 2024 research project GOPI-YOPD (Genetics of Young Onset Parkinson's Disease in India) in collaboration with MedGenome, published in the Movement Disorders Journal. Analyzing data from 668 participants, the latest study moves beyond identifying genes associated with early-onset Parkinson's disease to examine how they converge across biological pathways, including mitochondrial function, cellular waste clearance and neuronal communication.

The poster of this study was selected from more than 50 genetics-focused submissions at the GP2 Annual Conference. The award underscores the importance of including diverse populations in global genetics research, as findings from predominantly European-ancestry cohorts may not fully capture the genetic diversity of South Asian populations.

Dr. Prashanth LK, Consultant Neurologist & Movement Disorders Specialist and Principal Investigator of Project GOPI-YOPD, said, "India is witnessing a rapid rise in the burden of Parkinson's disease, with the average age at onset reported to be nearly a decade earlier than in Western populations. These observations underscore the urgent need to understand the genetic and environmental factors shaping PD in India. Our research into the genetic underpinnings of PD is yielding valuable insights that may help explain this population's distinctive disease patterns. By bringing an Indian perspective to a global challenge, we aim to advance understanding of PD and contribute to the development of more targeted therapeutic strategies."

While the findings deepen understanding of Parkinson's disease genetics in Indian patients, further validation is needed to establish their clinical applications. The research is currently available as a preprint on medRxiv.

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