Latest / Living with Parkinson’s | Bryce Perry / Parkinson’s and the Future: Are We on the Brink of a Breakthrough?

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Parkinson’s and the Future: Are We on the Brink of a Breakthrough? · Living with Parkinson’s | Bryce Perry

• 0:01
  They told him he had five good years left.
• 0:04
  That was 15 years ago. He's still standing, still
• 0:08
  speaking, still living. This is living with Parkinson's,
• 0:12
  The good, the bad, and the reality.
• 0:15
  A podcast about what happens when life throws you something
• 0:18
  incurable and you fight back anyway.
• 0:21
  Hosted by Bryce Perry, diagnosed at 4015.
• 0:25
  Years into the battle, This is the truth behind the tremor.
• 0:29
  Let's begin. What if I told you that right
• 0:34
  now, as you watch this, scientists are growing brain
• 0:37
  cells in a dish, hoping to use them to treat Parkinson's?
• 0:41
  Sounds like sci-fi. Well, it's happening.
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  And later in this episode, I'm going to share what happened
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  when I spoke with the team at Blue Rock Therapeutics.
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  And trust me, you'll want to hear this.
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  So are we on the brink of a real breakthrough?
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  Let's find out. Hey everyone, and welcome back
• 0:58
  to the channel. I want to thank my loyal viewers
• 1:01
  for coming back. And if you're new here, I'm
• 1:02
  Bryce. And this is living with
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  Parkinson's, the good, the bad and the reality.
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  And this channel is all about providing strength, hope and
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  support the people living with Parkinson's and those who care
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  for them. Well, today we're taking a look
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  at the future, what's real, what's hype, and what actually
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  gives us hope. And if you're wondering why does
• 1:18
  this matter to me, it's simple. Like you, I want to know what
• 1:22
  brighter days are coming. And that's why I stay up to date
• 1:25
  and I know what I'm and I know and why I'm sharing this with
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  you. So let's get right into this.
• 1:31
  So let's start with where we are right now.
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  Now for most of us, the front, the frontline treatments are
• 1:37
  medications like levodopa, dopamine agonist and maybe a
• 1:40
  patch here or there. And if you're lucky, you haven't
• 1:43
  dropped the pill on the floor this week.
• 1:45
  And then there's deep brain stimulation, or DBS, a bit like
• 1:49
  having, a bit like having a pacemaker for your brain.
• 1:52
  But as effective as these can be, they're not perfect.
• 1:55
  Side effects wearing off, awkward timing.
• 2:00
  You know, I once set an alarm for my midday pills and I
• 2:02
  accidentally triggered my neighbors.
• 2:03
  Alexa, She got her weather report and I missed my dose.
• 2:06
  Welcome to Parkinson's in 2025. Now here's where things get
• 2:12
  exciting. Let's talk about the new
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  frontiers, because there's a lot happening.
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  DBS technology has come a long way.
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  The latest versions are smaller, rechargeable and even adaptive,
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  meaning they can sense your symptoms and adjust themselves
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  in real time. So picture this in the not so
• 2:30
  distant future, your brain device could work like a
• 2:33
  thermostat, cranking up support when you need it and backing it
• 2:37
  off when you don't. And yes, I still live in fear of
• 2:40
  accidentally charging changing my channel with my brain remote.
• 2:44
  Imagine explaining that one at a dinner.
• 2:45
  At a dinner party, it's it's wild, it's different, I mean,
• 2:49
  but where is it going? It's amazing.
• 2:50
  And then there's gene therapy. Now this isn't about giving you
• 2:55
  a superhero powers, unfortunately, but it's about
• 2:57
  sending microscopic instructions to your brain cells and teaching
• 3:01
  them how to make more dopamine or protect what you've got.
• 3:04
  And some early trials have shown promise, but it's still early
• 3:07
  days. The idea that a one time
• 3:10
  infusion or injection could make a real difference, Well, to me,
• 3:14
  that's something to really watch.
• 3:16
  Now that's 2, that's two already.
• 3:18
  And now what about this one? Here's where I get goosebumps.
• 3:22
  OK, stem cell therapy. Now, recently I had an
• 3:26
  incredible chance to speak directly with the team at Blue
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  Rock Therapeutics. And if you don't know the name,
• 3:32
  you will. Trust me, you will.
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  Because they're working on litter.
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  They're working on literally growing new dopamine producing
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  cells from stem cells and the goal of transplanting them into
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  people with Parkinson's. So I was asked to speak to their
• 3:45
  employees at their team, at their team convention
• 3:48
  conference, I guess. And I went into that
• 3:51
  conversation with cautious optimism.
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  OK. But what I heard blew me away.
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  The staff weren't just quoting statistics.
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  They were talking about people, early trial participants, their
• 4:02
  families, and the hope that drives their work every single
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  day. One of their scientists looked
• 4:10
  me right in the eye. OK, and well, it was over Zoom
• 4:13
  anyway, but, but said this, we're not working on treatments.
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  We're working towards a future where Parkinson's is a different
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  kind of diagnosis. And that, that, that stuck with
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  me. You could, I, I, I could
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  actually, I could feel their passion.
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  You could hear it in their voices.
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  And for the first time in a really long time, I walked away
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  thinking, this isn't just science, it's hope and action.
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  Now let me ask you this. What emerging treatments or
• 4:45
  breakthroughs give you hope? Have you ever spoken with a
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  researcher or joined a trial or just read something that just
• 4:52
  made you think, wow, maybe the future really is brighter?
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  Drop a comment below. I read, I read every single one.
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  And your words might be exactly what someone needs to hear
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  today. So let's talk about this.
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  Neuroprotective drugs, right? These aren't just treating
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  symptoms. They're designed to slow the
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  actual project. Project projection progression.
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  Thanks. Parkinson's, The actual
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  progression of Parkinson's, the one that's getting a lot of
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  attention is, is a diabetes medication being trialled for
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  its ability to protect brain cells, Right?
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  We're not there yet, but the idea of stopping Parkinson's is
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  track. Well, that's a moon shot worth
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  writing for, isn't it? I mean, it's incredible.
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  Wearables. Wearables are the new frontier.
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  Sensors, watches, rings, even insoles.
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  They track movement, they track tremors, they track sleep, even
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  falls, and send data to your care team.
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  You know, personally, some days I feel like a cyber dog with all
• 5:51
  these gadgets I've tried, but it means catching symptoms early.
• 5:54
  If it means catching symptoms early or, or getting my meds
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  right, then sign me up. You know, one of my favorite
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  sayings is, you know, meds on time every time.
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  So if there's something that's going to help me to do that,
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  then I'm definitely, definitely, definitely going to do that.
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  I was actually having a conversation with somebody this
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  week actually. And there's this new thing
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  coming out and you might have heard it already.
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  And it's, I think it's by from a company called Sense Sensei or
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  Sensei. And it's this, this monitor.
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  And you can put it in your home if you put it in the kitchen or
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  you put it in the, I think 3, three places they said was the
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  actual sweet spot, like the kitchen, the most traffic area
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  and the bathroom. And what it does is it actually
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  can start a you'll see patterns, right?
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  It's just, it's not doing anything.
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  It's just sort of sitting there. But it knows or hears how many
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  times you go to the restroom in a day and you're kind of say,
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  you know, there's a change going on here.
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  Maybe something we should look at.
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  Apparently, I don't know how this works, but apparently they
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  said it also can say it'll know how many, you know when, when
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  you're taking the pills and how much you've taken.
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  And if you live alone or if you're maybe you, maybe you're a
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  caregiver, maybe your parents have Parkinson's and you're
• 7:01
  trying to help them and you're far away.
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  It can actually, you can put people on alert so that they'll
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  be alerted if there's just a different pattern in your home.
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  So crazy incredible things, right?
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  Like, I mean, but like, like who knows where the future is?
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  And things are changing so terribly fast.
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  I mean, you know, when I was a when I was a kid, you know,
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  things took a long time to go from conception to actually
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  having it. And nowadays they say that if
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  someone has an idea, it can go from an idea to actually
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  trialling and conception within a year or so.
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  Hang in there. There's going to be good things
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  for us coming. I believe it.
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  I, I have to believe it. So let's hang on to that hope.
• 7:35
  And how about this? Here's one for tech lovers.
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  OK, it's the AI and it's, it's machine learning, right?
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  So computers are helping researchers spot the patterns.
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  They run clinical trials faster and maybe even predict who will
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  respond better to treatment and what different types of
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  treatment. So Can you imagine right now?
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  Here's a, here's a good example. When I was diagnosed 15 years
• 7:59
  ago, at the time I was 40 years old, DBS wasn't, you know, an
• 8:05
  option for me at the time, 15 years ago.
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  They said that DBS was for, for when you get to the point where
• 8:10
  you can't manage anymore and you know, that's in your medications
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  or whatever are happening that that's when you get DBS now, you
• 8:19
  know, 10, even about 8 years ago or 10 years ago, now they're
• 8:23
  saying, no, no, we believe now it's, it's for a young, a
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  younger people. So we kind of get it before the
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  progression kicks in. That way you can have a, you
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  know, live a more productive life or keep working and, and
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  whatnot. And that was actually, I said to
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  my doctor, I said, that's the, you know, you lost me at, you
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  know, let's get deep brain stimulation so you can work
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  longer. I mean, that's not the incentive
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  I needed right there. But, but anyway, you catch my
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  drift, right? So if the robots eventually take
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  over, at least I hope they come with good bedside matter and I
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  can and can open a pill bottle because that's still my arch
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  nemesis. Isn't that crazy, right?
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  You know, to make sure I'm not just blowing smoke.
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  Let's hear what some of the experts are saying.
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  So Doctor Jane Smith at Harvard called stem cell research the
• 9:04
  most promising development in decades.
• 9:06
  And Dr. Hammond at the Toronto Western Hospital said gene
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  therapy is moving from science fiction to standard practice
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  faster than anybody expected. Hearing real excitement from
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  scientists and doctors, now that gets me excited, right?
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  But here's what really here's what matters the most to me, at
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  least the community. I've met people who have joined
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  clinical trials, not for themselves, but so the next
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  generation won't have to go through what they've gone
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  through. You know, one of my friends told
• 9:36
  me that if, if my story can help someone else, then every scan,
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  every questionnaire, every awkward blood draw is worth it.
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  That's the spirit of this community.
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  Hope, resilience, and a little bit of stubbornness.
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  So where are we? On the brink of a breakthrough?
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  Honestly, I think we're closer than we've ever been.
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  No, there's no miracle cure around the corner yet, but there
• 9:59
  is real honest to goodness progress and is being made by
• 10:03
  people who care every single day.
• 10:05
  So if you're feeling hopeful, let me know.
• 10:07
  And if you're feeling skeptical, that's OK too.
• 10:09
  This channel is a safe place for both.
• 10:10
  It's real, it's raw, you know, And if you want to keep up with
• 10:13
  new research or hear more about my own journey or just get a
• 10:16
  little laugh and encouragement each week, hit the subscribe
• 10:18
  button. Like, like the video.
• 10:20
  And consider joining the inner circle community for more behind
• 10:23
  the scenes and live chats. And then join the community.
• 10:26
  OK with Parkinson's, I guess I'll give you this, my Bryce's.
• 10:33
  I guess this is a Bryce's, right?
• 10:35
  With Parkinson's. The future used to scare me.
• 10:37
  Now I'm just curious of what kind of gadgets I'll have
• 10:39
  strapped to my body by 20-30 and whether my robot nurse will
• 10:43
  laugh at my jokes. Yeah, thanks for watching and
• 10:47
  thanks for being part of this amazing community.
• 10:49
  Remember, hope isn't just a feeling.
• 10:52
  It's a team sport and we're playing it together.
• 10:58
  Parkinson's may be part of your life, but it doesn't get to
• 11:01
  define it. Thanks for listening to Living
• 11:04
  with Parkinson's, The good, the bad, and the reality.
• 11:08
  If this episode moved you, helped you, or reminded you
• 11:11
  you're not alone. Share it with someone who needs
• 11:14
  to hear it. Want to go deeper?
• 11:16
  The Inner Circle is waiting. Monthly Zoom calls, 24/7
• 11:20
  community, and a Direct Line to Bryce.
• 11:22
  You'll find the link in the show notes.
• 11:24
  Until next time, keep showing up and keep doing life today.