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 an international collaborative effort aimed at making transformational progress in Parkinson’s disease (PD) genetics. Alongside developing strong links with global partners, we are offering training opportunities as widely as possible.

Method: The GP2 training, networking and communication working group was formed at the beginning of the project. Training was broadly divided into training for ‘individuals’ and training for ‘groups’ to achieve breadth and impact. For groups, we developed a free and accessible web-based learning platform (https://training.gp2.org/) to establish foundational knowledge of PD genetics, bioinformatics, medical statistics and molecular biology. For individuals, tailored research training opportunities (from short courses to Master’s and PhD programs) have been created with a focus on clinicians, scientists and researchers from regions that are traditionally underrepresented in PD research.

Results: To date, courses in beginner bioinformatics, using Terra for analysis, PD genetics for non-geneticists, and research methods have been launched to more than 460 students in the learning platform. Courses in intermediate bioinformatics, introduction to python, and functional biology are in development. Trainees have been supported to attend graduate courses in bioinformatics and data science at the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences at the NIH in addition to a data science workshop at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases. Four PhD and three master’s fellowships have been awarded to individuals in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and sabbatical training opportunities at GP2 centers will be offered in 2022. A trainee network of 96 members worldwide 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 the next generation of PD researchers worldwide is a priority for GP2. Over the coming years, our reach will expand to ensure that needs are met and research capacity is generated where it is needed to further the understanding of the genetic basis of PD.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/gp2-growing-a-research-community-in-the-parkinsons-disease-genetics-field-through-training-and-networking/