Two Yale School of Medicine faculty members will lead a clinical trial using a well-known anti-inflammatory medication in patients with early indicators of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Their work could mark a first step toward a preventative treatment for PD.

The clinical study will be funded by a generous grant from The Marcus Foundation, chaired by Bernie Marcus, co-founder and former chairman and CEO of The Home Depot.

Neurology department chair David Hafler, the William S. and Lois Stiles Edgerly Professor of Neurology and of Immunobiology, and Jesse Cedarbaum, professor of neurology, will lead the trial, which will test the hypothesis that inflammatory signaling plays a key role in the development of Parkinson’s disease by blocking these signals using adalimumab (Humira®), an FDA-approved anti-inflammatory medication used to treat autoimmune disorders.

“We are thrilled that, thanks to The Marcus Foundation, we can test a readily available treatment that holds the potential to change the standard of care for Parkinson’s disease,” said Hafler. “If successful, this trial stands to benefit immediately the lives of patients and families facing devastating diagnoses.”

Read more about the trial and The Marcus Foundation’s grant.