Team Science Approaches to Unravel Monogenic Parkinson's Disease on a Global Scale

Background: Until recently, about three-quarters of all monogenic Parkinson's disease (PD) studies were performed in European/White ancestry, thereby severely limiting our insights into genotype–phenotype relationships at a global scale. Objective: To identify the multi-ancestry spectrum of monogenic PD. Methods: The first systematic approach to embrace monogenic PD worldwide, The Michael J. Fox Foundation Global Monogenic PD Project, contacted authors of publications reporting individuals carrying pathogenic variants in known PD-causing genes. In contrast, the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program's Monogenic Network took a different approach by targeting PD centers underrepresented or not yet represented in the medical literature. Results: In this article, we describe combining both efforts in a merger project resulting in a global monogenic PD cohort with the buildup of a sustainable infrastructure to identify the multi-ancestry spectrum of monogenic PD and enable studies of factors modifying penetrance and expressivity of monogenic PD. Conclusions: This effort demonstrates the value of future research based on team science approaches to generate comprehensive and globally relevant results. © 2024 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.