Objective: To describe the early establishment and recruitment outcomes of the Ukrainian Parkinson’s disease cohort within the Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2).
Background: Eastern European populations remain underrepresented in Parkinson’s disease (PD) genetics research. UPGRADE-PD was established to integrate Ukrainian patients into GP2 while building local movement disorders research infrastructure.
Method: Ethics approvals and material transfer agreements were completed between May and September 2025. Recruitment began in September 2025 and expanded to 13 centres through remote coordination, on-site visits, and training in standardised study procedures. Participants with PD, atypical parkinsonism, and healthy controls underwent harmonised clinical phenotyping, including MDS-UPDRS, Hoehn and Yahr staging, MoCA, PDQ-8, HADS, environmental/risk-factor questionnaires, and smell testing where available. Blood was collected from all participants, with optional cerebrospinal fluid, neuroimaging, and plasma collection where feasible. DNA samples entered the GP2 whole-genome sequencing pipeline.
Results: By 28 February 2026, 173 participants had been recruited and whole-genome sequencing initiated for 63 DNA samples. In an analysed subset of 75 participants, 55 (73.3%) had PD, 15 (20.0%) were controls, and 5 (6.7%) had atypical parkinsonian syndromes. Mean age was 58.9 years (range 36–78), and 52.0% were female. Among PD participants, tremor was the most common initial motor symptom (60.8%), followed by stiffness/frozen shoulder (21.6%) and impaired manual dexterity (19.6%). Non-motor onset features included pain, anxiety, constipation, and cognitive symptoms. Mild cognitive impairment was present in 21.0%, and 63.1% were Hoehn and Yahr stage 2–3.
Conclusion: These findings show that multicentre PD recruitment and biosample collection are feasible in Ukraine. UPGRADE-PD expands Eastern European representation in PD genetics and provides a foundation for future genomic and translational research.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
S. Bandrivska, H. Houlden, F. Magrinelli, A. Kolodii, V. Bashynska, I. Halushko, Y. Tsyoma, A. Bondarieva, A. Shevchenko, R. Svistilnik, O. Borysenko, O. Kripchak, L. Maksymova, R. Nasalyk, S. Shkrobot, I. Khubetova, A. Cherkez, P. Marushchenko, T. Slobodin. Establishing the Ukrainian Parkinson’s Disease Cohort within GP2: Early Results from the UPGRADE-PD Initiative [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2026; 41 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/establishing-the-ukrainian-parkinsons-disease-cohort-within-gp2-early-results-from-the-upgrade-pd-initiative/. Accessed October 1, 2026.« Back to 2026 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/establishing-the-ukrainian-parkinsons-disease-cohort-within-gp2-early-results-from-the-upgrade-pd-initiative/