Objective: To establish a virtual ‘center of excellence’ with resources and expertise to serve the training needs of the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2; www.gp2.org) and its collaborators.

Background: GP2 is a five-year project supported by the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) initiative and executed in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation. Alongside ‘dramatically expanding our understanding of the genetic basis of Parkinson’s disease (PD)’ and ‘making that knowledge globally relevant’, are the priorities of offering training widely and as equitably as possible, as well as developing strong links with global partners.

Method: A training, networking and communication group was established at the beginning of GP2. Training was broadly divided into training for ‘individuals’ and training for ‘groups’ to balance breadth and impact. For groups, we developed a web-based learning platform (https://training.gp2.org/), which is a free and accessible resource to establish foundational knowledge of PD genetics and related topics. For individuals, opportunities have been created to provide tailored research training (from short courses to PhD programs). Selection for individual opportunities is with a focus on clinician-scientists and researchers from regions that are traditionally underrepresented in PD research.

Results: To date, web-based courses such as “Beginner Bioinformatics for PD Genetics”, “Using Terra to Access Data and Perform Analysis” and “PD Genetics for Non-Geneticists” have been launched with more than 120 current learners. Scientists and clinicians have been supported to attend graduate courses in bioinformatics and data science at the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. Opportunities for PhD and Masters training in Africa, Asia and Latin America are being launched. A trainee network has been created to streamline training and employment opportunities, direct expertise to the places where it is needed and to facilitate access to data and analysis across GP2.

Conclusion: Training in PD genetics around the world is a key deliverable for GP2. Over the next four years, our reach will expand to ensure that needs are met and research capacity is generated where it is needed to further our understanding of the genetic basis of PD.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/gp2-training-the-next-generation-of-parkinsons-disease-genetics-researchers-wherever-they-are-in-the-world/