WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), both members of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, applauded final passage of their bipartisan legislation – the Advancing Research for Neurological Diseases Act – to advance medical research of neurological diseases, which affect millions of Americans. The bill will be signed into law by President Obama as part of the 21st Century Cures Act.

The Advancing Research for Neurological Diseases Act allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to collect information on the incidence and prevalence of neurological diseases to facilitate research and improve public health. This data will include the demographic information, such as age, sex, geographic location, family history, and risk factors such as potential genetic and environmental factors. This information could then be centralized through the establishment of a registry to better connect patients and researchers working to address neurological diseases.

“We are now one step closer to restoring hope to the millions of families impacted by neurological diseases,” said Murphy. “Senator Isakson and I introduced this bill because we must do more to learn about diseases like MS and Parkinson’s. By creating a national system to track these horrific diseases, our bill will finally help researchers better understand their root causes and support the vital research to bring us closer to cures.”

“The neurological disease registry provision within the 21st Century Cures Act compiles data for diseases such as Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis, which are more prevalent than ever before, into a registry to help in more early diagnosis, earlier treatment and advancement toward a cure,” said Isakson. “As one who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, I can tell you that the more researchers discover about one of these conditions, the closer we get to finding new and effective treatments. I’m pleased that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta will head up this positive initiative.”

Research and nonprofit groups, including the Parkinson’s Action Network, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the Tourette Association of America, have announced their support of the legislation.

Isakson announced his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in June 2015.

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