The search for a cure starts with your DNA.

Learn about 23andMe's commitment to Parkinson's research and how you can participate.

Enrollment for the Fox Insight Genetic sub-study is now closed.

We are busy analyzing data to better understand genetics and Parkinson’s disease. Stay tuned for updates on our findings. Thank you to all community members who made this Parkinson’s disease research possible.

The power to effect change increases with the number of people participating in research and with greater amounts of data for researchers to mine and analyze.

At 23andMe, we believe genetic data will play a critical role in Parkinson's research.

Our commitment to Parkinson's research is in our DNA.

The power to effect change increases with the number of people participating in research and with greater amounts of data for researchers to mine and analyze.

Since 2006, 23andMe has been the world's leading personal genetics company. In 2009, we launched the world's largest genetic study of Parkinson's disease (PD), now more than 11,000 participants strong.

In the beginning, we wanted more answers. We wanted to contribute to research and better understand the impact genetics has on this disease.

So, we launched a new kind of research. One that uses the web to bring people together to share their personal health and genetic data with researchers — regardless of how close they live to a clinic or research facility.

Today our commitment to accelerating and advancing PD research is stronger than ever. We believe understanding more about how our genetics influences this disease should improve diagnosis and treatment, and may eventually lead to a cure. That is our goal.

“What 23andMe did in a matter of years would have taken several decades and tens of millions of dollars if done conventionally.”
Haydeh Payami, New York State Department of Health

Together, with our research participants and partners, we've made an impact.

“What 23andMe did in a matter of years would have taken several decades and tens of millions of dollars if done conventionally.”
Haydeh Payami, New York State Department of Health

2009

We launched the unprecedented web-based Parkinson's Research Community. Within six months, we had the largest genetic research cohort in the world.
2011

After 2 years, 23andMe found two new genetic associations with Parkinson's, providing new evidence that there is a substantial genetic component still to be discovered for PD.
2012

We contributed to a new database that created the most comprehensive synopsis of Parkinson's disease genetic research to date.
2013
- We contributed to a study whose preliminary findings suggest that increased iron levels are associated with a decreased risk of PD.
- We launched a study on the LRRK2 genetic mutation in collaboration with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
2014

Working as part of a broader research group, 23andMe identified six new genetic regions that had not previously been associated with Parkinson's disease.
2015

We partnered with global pharma company Genentech to identify new drug targets and therapies by analyzing the complete DNA makeup (whole genome sequence data) of approximately 3,000 23andMe research participants.
2017

23andMe collaborated with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to enable genetic data collection and sharing with qualified researchers through the Fox Insight Genetic Sub-study.

Some of the amazing people who have contributed to our PD research over the years.

The Parkinson's disease community lost a truly inspirational leader with the passing of Muhammad Ali on June 7, 2016.
Claudia shares her story of living with Parkinson's disease and why she believes participating in genetic research is so important.