DNA Bank - General organisation

The Institute for Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders, located in the Hospital “Istituti Clinici di Perfezionamento” (ICP) in Milan, is a specialized referral centre that operates in the field of movement disorders, especially Parkinson’s disease (PD) and parkinsonisms. Its activities include clinical practice, rehabilitation and scientific research.
The Parkinson Institute is the ideal place where to start a DNA Bank for PD, because it is one of the largest centres in the world for PD and parkinsonisms, where it is possible to collect many samples from patients who have been assessed and followed-up according to homogeneous and highly specialized standards.
The staff comprises 8 neurologists expert in neurodegenerative diseases, 2 neuropsychologists, 1 physician specialized in genetics, 2 physicians specialized in nutrition, an IT expert with an assistant, 2 registered nurses, one unregistered nurse, 7 secretaries and administrative assistants.
The main diseases seen at the Centre are PD and primary parkinsonisms, such as Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), Corticobasal degeneration (CBD), Lewy Body Disease and secondary parkinsonisms. Also patients with other movement disorders attend the centre, such as patients with Essential Tremor, Spinocerebellar Ataxia, Dystonia, Huntington’s chorea, etc. Furthermore, the centre is also an Alzheimer Assessment Unit (the so-called “UVA”) for the diagnosis and treatment of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Approximately 2,500 patients attend the centre every year and out of these 1,100 are new patients.