We need your help

The information presented openly on this site is the result of research carried out by myself, Dr Albert Wright, a retired research scientist with Parkinson’s disease. It is the fruit of more than 2500 hours of intellectual effort focused on validating the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway and its impact on Parkinson’s disease and more than 250 hours of experimental work to develop a broccoli seed tea (BST) rich in isothiocyanates, in particular the potent Nrf2 activator, sulforaphane, to stimulate this pathway.

This line of investigation for Parkinson’s disease was abandoned by the pharmaceutical industry more than ten years ago, not because of doubts about its potential efficacy, but due to concerns about lack of profitability. Since plant-based molecules cannot be protected by strong patents, projects based on such molecules are often considered by commercial drug companies to carry a high financial risk and are abandoned, irrespective of any potential medical benefit for patients.

This project is now approaching the end of its first stage. In recent weeks we have made unprecedented progress towards optimizing the yield of sulforaphane in BST from a standard seed source. This was made possible using of a novel analytical technique, specifically developed to study the kinetics of the hydrolysis of glucosinolates by the enzyme myrosinase. It has enabled us to converge empirically towards optimizing the hydrolysis parameters. It has also opened a Pandora’s box of surprises and questions about this process that will need to be answered if we are to fully understand it. At the same time, members of the recently-formed Broccoli & Sulforaphane Research Group are impatient to begin self-experimentation with this tea.

The next stage will be fundamentally different from the previous one. It can probably be summed up as: Testing, Testing, and Testing. The Broccoli Seed Tea Research Group has established a tentative program and is progressively building the organisational capacity to carry it through. This will require a change in dimensions in terms of scientific, technical, financial, organisational and human resources. I am therefore calling on People with Parkinson’s disease and those who care for them to help us ensure the future development of this unique project which is designed and run entirely by and for People with Parkinson’s disease. We firmly believe that we will soon be able to demonstrate its potential as a viable pathway to modify the progression of Parkinson’s disease. We therefore urge you to take a look at what we are doing and if you like what you see, to support the project by joining our team or by contributing to it by any means you see fit.

The cost of this research over the last 3 years has been borne entirely by Dr Wright. Your donation will be used to support the research program started by Dr Wright and now carried forward with the help of the Broccoli & Sulforaphane Research Group. If you prefer to make a contribution using an alternative method, please contact Dr Wright directly using the form on the Contacts page.