Geisinger investigator receives $1.5 million NIH award to study Parkinson's disease
Focus on illness that affects one million Americans
DANVILLE, PA – Geisinger investigator Janet Robishaw, Ph.D., has received a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study a key signaling pathway that is dysfunctional in Parkinson’s disease.
In the United States alone, this disorder affects one million patients who experience a host of motor symptoms, including tremor, general reduction voluntary movements (bradykinesia), and rigidity.
For Parkinson’s patients and their families, the quality of life is greatly reduced and the economic impact is estimated at $25 billion per year. Current treatment options show limited effectiveness. Although dopamine replacement therapy improves the motor symptoms, prolonged treatment often produces uncontrolled movements (dyskinesia) and altered intellectual functions.
By capitalizing on her discovery of a new mechanism to regulate movement, Dr. Robishaw said the goal of this study is to develop a more targeted, effective treatment for this debilitating disorder.
“Our finding also has important implications for treatment for learning disorders and addictive behaviors,” Dr. Robishaw, associate director and senior scientist at Geisinger Health System’s Weis Center for Research, said.
Identifying mechanism-based diagnoses and treatments represent dual goals of the precision medicine initiative instituted by the Geisinger learning health system to improve the overall health of affected patients.
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across central and northeastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the nonprofit system generates more than $8 billion in annual revenues across 163 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and is conducting more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With more than 27,000 employees, including 1,800 employed physicians and 5,200 registered nurses, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers, having an estimated economic impact of $16.8 billion on the state’s economy. In 2024, Geisinger joined Risant Health, a nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.