Sonia Gandhi on building model brains to tackle Parkinson’s disease

The Life Scientific

BBC

Technology, Personal Journals, Society & Culture, Science

4.6 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 14 October 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

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Summary

Many people will be familiar with Parkinson’s disease: the progressive brain disorder that causes symptoms including tremors and slower movement, leading on to serious cognitive problems. You might not know that it’s the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world. Today it affects around 11.8 million people and that’s forecast to double by 2030.

Dr Sonia Gandhi is one of the scientists working to change that trend. As Professor of Neurology at University College London and Assistant Research Director at the Francis Crick Institute, her work involves using stem cells to build models of the human brain, helping to drive the development of drugs and other therapies for Parkinson’s patients.

Talking to Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Sonia explains why this destructive condition is on the rise - and the promising routes they're studying to find new ways to tackle it.

Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Lucy Taylor for BBC Studios

For details of organisations that offer advice and support to anyone affected by Parkinson's Disease, please go online to bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Transcript

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0:57.8	Hello, today we're talking about the fastest growing neurological condition in the world.
1:03.8	Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that causes tremors,
1:09.2	stiffness, slowness of movement, leading onto serious cognitive
1:12.7	problems. There are treatments that can help manage the symptoms, but no cure yet. Already around
1:19.3	11.8 million people are affected by the condition worldwide, and that number is forecast to double
	...

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