Fight Parkinson’s grant awarded to explore early detection and treatment

A University of Melbourne team led by A/Prof Christine Nguyen has received a 2026 Fight Parkinson’s Basic Science Seed Grant for a project investigating whether the eye could help detect Parkinson’s disease earlier and support more timely treatment.

The project, The Eye as a Window to Nicotinamide Neuroprotection in Parkinson’s Disease, brings together optometry and neurology clinicians, vision scientists and neuroscientists to examine the retina as a potential early indicator of Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease rates are expected to double by 2040, creating an urgent need for earlier diagnosis and new treatment approaches. Because the retina is an extension of the brain, changes at the back of the eye may provide important clues about Parkinson’s-related changes before symptoms appear. The research team aims to explore whether accessible retinal imaging could support earlier screening and risk assessment.

The project will also investigate nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, as a safe and low-cost option to target early cell dysfunction before irreversible cell loss occurs. By linking retinal biomarkers with early metabolic changes in Parkinson’s disease, the team hopes to build evidence for neuroprotective strategies that can be tested earlier in the disease pathway.

The research team includes Prof David Finkelstein, Prof Pete Williams, Dr Pei Ying Lee and Dr Da Zhao, with expertise spanning Parkinson’s biology, nicotinamide, translational neuroscience, optometry, retinal imaging and neuroprotection. The seed grant supports the team to take critical early steps towards a future where routine eye screening and earlier intervention could help change the trajectory of Parkinson’s disease.