Objective: We aim to recruit Parkinson’s cohorts across the world for the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2, http://gp2.org/), harmonize clinical data for joint analysis and ensure that data can be shared and used within the GP2 network. We will integrate clinical and genetic data from over 150,000 participants worldwide  to advance the global understanding of PD.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a multifactorial disorder with a complex aetiology. While a number of risk loci and specific mutations have been associated with PD, our understanding of the genetic causes of PD remains limited. The GP2 project will enable interaction with PD cohorts from across the world for case-control, and genotype-phenotype analysis.

Method: We have established a pathway for identifying and evaluating clinical cohorts from different contexts including brain banks, drug trials, and longitudinal studies. We have established a set of core clinical data in a common data format to allow data harmonization. The incoming data from each cohort is re-coded into a standardized data format. Quality control is performed in collaboration with the cohort investigators to ensure continuity. Genotyping is carried out using the NeuroBooster array which consists of the Illumina Global Diversity Array 1.9M variant backbone and >95K custom content (https://github.com/GP2code/Neuro_Booster_Array).

Results: As of March 2022, over 100 PIs/cohorts have joined the study so far through the complex arm of GP2, representing over 84,000 PD patients. The GP2 project is committed to ensuring ancestral diversity in all genetic analyses, and already has data committed from over 50 countries. We have developed a harmonized clinical data template and a process for standardizing clinical data. Genotyping using the newly designed Neurobooster chip is underway and we anticipate genotyping 35,000 samples through 2022.

Conclusion: The GP2 project is enabling collaborative research into the genetics of PD at dramatically increased scale, and with an enhanced scope for collaboration. PIs are fully involved with the GP2 project, creating a network of leading researchers working together to facilitate new insights into the biology and potential future treatments for PD. 

This abstract was previously presented at the ADPD conference 2022 (15.03.2022 – 20.03.2022)

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