Parkinson’s UK is named BIA Charity of the Year for 2018

The BioIndustry Association (BIA) has today announced that Parkinson’s UK will be its official Charity of the Year for 2018. The partnership will be formally launched at the upcoming BIA Gala Dinner on 25 January 2018. Proceeds from the silent auction, pledges and table donations on the night will be donated to Parkinson’s UK and the audience will hear from the charity’s president Jane Asher, as well as a person with Parkinson’s who will share some insight into how her life has been affected by the condition.

Established in 1969, Parkinson’s UK is the largest charity funder of Parkinson's research in Europe, and provides support to the 127,000 people living with Parkinson’s in the UK. The charity’s long-term goal is to find a cure, and improve life for everyone affected by Parkinson’s.

The BIA will be working with Parkinson’s UK to see how the BIA can support the charity in its mission to influence and fund international research to advance understanding of Parkinson’s and improve treatments.

BIA CEO Steve Bates said: “I am delighted to be partnering with Parkinson’s UK in 2018. The charity has such a strong global reputation, having spent the last five decades funding ground-breaking research, raising awareness, and providing support for people with Parkinson’s. We look forward to supporting their work and to boosting links between the charity and BIA member companies who have the skills needed to help find a cure for Parkinson’s.”

Steve Ford, Chief Executive of Parkinson’s UK, said: “This partnership is a brilliant opportunity to enhance the charity’s innovative approach to research. We look forward to BIA’s input on projects, in particular our Virtual Biotech initiative, which works to push promising scientific discoveries through drug development stages more quickly, which will help find a cure for Parkinson’s faster.

"People with Parkinson’s have been waiting too long for better treatments and a cure. We are honoured to be named the BioIndustry Association’s Charity of the Year, as this privilege will not only raise valuable funds for medical research, but also increase the profile of this terrible condition so many people know so little about.”

A number of BIA member organisations are working across the Parkinson’s space, including Oxford BioMedica, Horizon Discovery, Synpromics Ltd, and UCL. The BIA will be exploring and profiling the work of Parkinson’s UK across its communications channels throughout 2018 and looks forward to working with the charity on the latest edition of the Celebrate campaign that explores the human impact that work from BIA members can have on areas of unmet medical need. You can watch our current videos here.

To buy tickets for the BIA Gala Dinner go to: https://www.bioindustry.org/event-listing/bia-gala-dinner-2018.html

Ends

Notes to Editors

 

Contact

Ed Sexton, BIA Communications and Media Relations Manager – [email protected] 0207 630 2196

Parkinson’s UK - email: [email protected]

Tel: 020 7963 9370

 

About the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA)

Founded over 25 years ago at the infancy of biotechnology, the BioIndustry Association (BIA) is the trade association for innovative enterprises involved in UK bioscience. Members include emerging and more established bioscience companies; pharmaceutical companies; academic, research and philanthropic organisations; and service providers to the bioscience sector. The BIA represents the interests of its members to a broad section of stakeholders, from government and regulators to patient groups and the media. Our goal is to secure the UK's position as a global hub and as the best location for innovative research and commercialisation, enabling our world-leading research base to deliver healthcare solutions that can truly make a difference to people's lives.

For further information, please go to https://www.bioindustry.org/ and twitter.com/BIA_UK

 

About Parkinson’s UK

  • As the UK's Parkinson's support and research charity we're leading the work to find a cure, and we're closer than ever.
  • We bring people with Parkinson's, their carers and families together via our network of local groups, our website and free confidential helpline 0808 800 0303. Because we're here, no one has to face Parkinson's alone.
  • Specialist Parkinson's nurses, our supporters and staff provide information and training on every aspect of Parkinson's.
  • We campaign to change attitudes and demand better services.
  • Our work is totally dependent on donations. Visit us at www.parkinsons.org.uk and follow us @ParkinsonsUK

 

About Parkinson’s

  • Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition.
  • People with Parkinson's don't have enough of a chemical called dopamine because specific nerve cells inside their brain have died. It is not known why these cells die.
  • Without dopamine people can find that their movements become slower, so it takes longer to do things. This can make everyday activities, such as eating, getting dressed, or using a phone or computer, difficult or frustrating.
  • The 3 main symptoms of Parkinson's are tremor, muscle stiffness and slowness of movement. But not everyone will experience all of these.
  • As well as the symptoms that affect movement, people with Parkinson's can find that other issues, such as tiredness, pain, depression and constipation, can have an impact on their day-to-day lives.
  • Parkinson's doesn't directly cause people to die, but symptoms do get worse over time.
  • There is currently no cure for Parkinson's, but there are a range of treatments to control the symptoms and maintain quality of life

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