CEO of Parkinson's Institute Shares New Opportunities for Parkinson's Disease

Rancho Santa Fe, CA, October 31, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Carrolee Barlow, MD, PhD, newly appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, was the featured speaker at a presentation held in Rancho Santa Fe, California, on Wednesday, October 1, 2014. Dr. Barlow discussed the world-class care and cutting-edge research conducted by the Parkinson’s Institute and invited guests to inquire about new developments and future possibilities in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

During the program, Dr. Barlow shared, "The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center is beginning its next era of growth and I'm honored to be leading the organization at this exciting time. My plan includes reaching out to the broader Parkinson's community, beyond the Bay Area, and educating the public on what defines the Parkinson's Institute as a critical resource that is uniquely positioned to be at the forefront of new discoveries and therapies. I feel confident our new theories will ultimately lead to improving the lives of those who are living with this disease as well as their family members. My visit to San Diego is just one of the many steps we’re taking to share our knowledge, expand our education and outreach, and engage the Parkinson’s community in our efforts, thus assisting people around the world in recognizing the Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center as a catalyst in decoding, treating, and ultimately finding new therapies for Parkinson’s disease."

"The Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center is beginning its next era of growth and I'm honored to be leading the organization at this exciting time."

Dr. Carrolee Barlow, CEO, Parkinson's Institute

People living with Parkinson’s throughout the world travel to the Parkinson’s Institute in Northern California to pursue their care and participate in research. Institute research focus areas include: biomarker discovery and clinical research; translational research on genetic forms of Parkinson’s; a world class LRRK2 research and drug discovery program (LRRK2 is the most common cause of familial or inherited Parkinson’s disease); stem cell modeling referred to as “Parkinson’s disease in a Petri dish”; and clinical trials and research on the non-motor or non-movement related and early features of Parkinson’s. Almost every Parkinson’s treatment currently on the market has been tested in a clinical trial at the Parkinson’s Institute.

Appointed in February 2014 as the second CEO in the Institute’s 25-year history, Dr. Barlow is the former Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Medical Officer of BrainCells, Inc. in San Diego, California, a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of small molecules that stimulate adult hippocampal neurogenesis for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disease using human neural stem cell technology. Prior to her post at BrainCells, she served as the Director of Molecular Neuroscience and Worldwide Therapeutic Area Head for Stroke and Neurodegeneration at Merck Research Laboratories where she was responsible for integration of neuroscience biology, global exploratory, licensing, and full-phase efforts in stroke and neurogenerative disease. Dr. Barlow has held a faculty position in the Laboratory of Genetics at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. She also serves as an advisory board member for several biotechnology companies and disease foundations advancing therapies for rare diseases and disorders of the central nervous system (CNS).