The Michael J. Fox Foundation has selected WCG IRB to oversee its Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), an observational study aimed at identifying biomarkers and clinical changes associated with the disease.

WCG will be responsible for reviewing all research protocols and patient communications, including patient recruitment, retention and informed consent documents, and in-study instructions. The study, first launched in 2010 to better understand the disease and advance new treatments, has recruited more than 1,400 patients and intends to enroll 4,000 more participants across 50 medical centers in 12 countries. It also includes an online platform that collects health and wellness data from adult volunteers in the U.S. On this front, PPMI has recruited more than 20,000 participants and has ambitions of enrolling 100,000.